MAD

I remember this book when I was a kid and I absolutely loved it. The illustrations were great and the story line was good too.

Histon's poetry is a classic example of life.
There can be no mistaking the well from which
his refreshing works are drawn. "Life Trapped Inside A
Mad Mind" relates to every man and every woman.
And, more importantly Mr. Histon's madness, like
normalcy is relative to the manner in which each of the
97 poems are interpreted.
Bravo! Bravo!

If you can remember when this material was new, hip, and cutting-edge, well.... you are getting old, man- real old. The pieces in this collection are from the 1956 and 1957. This is back before the "usual gang of idiots" was known as the "usual gang of idiots"- they were merely idiots. I mean the hot topic here was "beatniks", so you know that you are dealing with "classic" stuff. And you really are, reading this paperback of classic MAD Magazine material from the 50's is like breaking open a time capsule- especially if you remember those days.

Contents: Foreign Movies, Top Atom Bomb Song Hits, Mad Coats of Arms, Movie Scenes We'd Like to See, MAD's Picture-Phone Backdrops, Motorist Beware, Spoofs on the comic strip "Nancy", Backyard Barbeques, MAD Bubble Gum Cards, The Children's Hour (Don Martin), The MAD Dating Technique, Movie Scenes We'd like to See II, 35mm Camera Comparison, Sin-Doll Ella, Future TV ads, The Potrzebie System, Dead Letters, Raw Guts, Mad Eating Utensils, More Civilized Mousetrap, The Railroad, Timetable, and The Seaside Incident (Don Martin.)

As the intro states: Like, MAD is not square (it's much longer than it is wide), Like, MAD is real cool (if you keep it in the refrigerator), Like, MAD is the most (the most asinine stuff you've read), Like, MAD is the end (the end of a long line of successful paperbacks if it doesn't sell.) Well, it's been nearly 50 years and it's still selling....

If you like this one, then check out _MAD about the 50's_.

This is truly an amazing book, it is inspiring and thought provoking. The scope of the poetry, which ranged from witty and sarcastic to soft and gentile, shows how talented and multi-dimensional the author is. I am eagerly awaiting another book from Kharis A. Macey. She is now one of my favorite authors

It's really great to have the Mad comic pages all in one place. I like the way Mad takes a theme and creates a book out of it. Plus it lists the issue the article first appeared in!!!!! Keep 'em coming!!!!

Mad About Macaroni by recipe developer and cookbook editor Anne Egan is a pasta lover's dream, with full-color photographs and easy-to-follow directions for scruptuous treats such as New Classic Beef Lasagna; Turkey Bolognese over Spaghetti; Linguine with Chili Scallops; and so much more. Mad About Macarni is a fine addition to cookbook shelves. Also very highly recommended for kitchen cookbook collections is Anne Egan's The New Classics Cookbook: Family Favorites Made Healthy For Today's Lifestyle (Rodale Press, 0875965032, $$$).

Very funny (though rather mean-spirited) paper doll cut-out book. Numerous costumes for a variety of situations for Martha that we will never see on her TV show! Martha seems to be able to do just about everything so, this book was bound to happen. We are presented with a few things she has not thought of yet or, at least, chose not to share with us! Glad I bought this one. When I have a bad day, I drag this out and have a good laugh. One of these days I will cut out the outfits and display Martha, at her "unbest". Such fun, and a great gift for a friend that has everything.

Richard Hornby (Whose "The End of Acting" manages to be both a withering criticism of 'method' acting and a brilliant rumination on the craft) here collects theatre criticism of his from around 1986 to 1996. The book is extremely interesting and is full of insight into what is wrong with American theatre today. It will be of interest to anyone that loves theatre.

I am now working in printing and desktop publishing because of MAD. When I was 9 years old my Grandmother gave me about ten of my Uncle's old MADs from the early days. I was drawn into the crazy world of those amazing drawings and the funny dialog. Every day after school I would copy the drawings from MAD, which is what led me into graphic arts. Over the years I have been collecting old MADs, which my 13 year old likes to read from time to time.

I understand what it takes to produce any type of publication, and I have often wondered where the original artwork or the negatives from the first MADs ended up. Unless I am totally wrong, I think this book was printed from the original art or the original film. I am very impressed with the care with which this book was produced. The detail and color is first rate, and the printing is excellent.

I now own a perfect copy of the first six MADs produced. For someone who is interested in art and printing and comic book history, this is a must. Very cool!! I look forward to the next set.

"...(Chayesfky) called a trusted friend at NBC, John Chancellor. He asked Chancellor if it was possible for an anchorman to go nuts on TV. 'Every day,' replied Chancellor."

Paddy Chayefsky wrote NETWORK. That would've been enough to put him in the top grade of all Hollywood screenwriters by itself. Twenty-five years after NETWORK hit the screens, there were dozens of articles that his script wasn't just a satire of the media, it was a genuine prophecy.
But Chayefsky has also done what no other writer has yet to do: he's won three Oscars for screenwriting (the other films were MARTY and THE HOSPITAL).
The man is definitely work reading about. Even if I didn't have an interest in screenwriting, I believe I would still find this book interesting for its look into the "Golden Age of Television" and the behind-the-scenes stories of Chayefsky's film career. The author has done a wonderful job of coming up with a lot of great details and fascinating anecdotes about everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Sam Peckinpah to Bob Fosse to Burt Lancaster.

Paddy Chayefsky was the real deal as a writer and I know his work will be praised and studied for decades to come. Shaun Considine has done everyone a favor by giving us a look into Chayefsky's life.