Book Review: The Official Batman Batbook

There are a lot of books out there on classic television shows nowadays, but few of them are as informative as Joel Eisner's The Official Batman Batbook. There are also few that come off as such a labor of love as this little tome.

As you might guess from the cover, this book covers the heyday of camp TV that was the Batman television show, starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the iconic Dynamic Duo. It details all three seasons of the show, along with the 1966 Batman movie.

Each two-part storyline (at least for the first season) is covered in detail in terms of plot, guest-stars, background information and even a list of Bat-Equipment used in each show. There are loads of photos in both black-and-white and color, and even a list of all the sound effects that were flashed on the screen during the fight scenes. You'll also find an exacting list of every "Holy __, Batman!" utterance the Boy Wonder ever made.

The detail that Eisner goes into in this book is amazing! This man was obviously a fan extraordinaire of the program. Considering this book was published in 1986, before a lot of programs were readily available for review on video or DVD, this was some undertaking. Simply for the immense amount of trivia alone, it's worth a read. But if you want to see the creation of a popular program (the first two seasons, the show was broadcast twice a week), and the inevitable slide to cancellation, this is a perfect opportunity. Eisner includes a lot of behind-the-scenes events and information that really lets a reader into the know on this still somewhat mystifying process.

Unfortunately, the book isn't available in an electronic edition yet, but I hope that soon it will be. This is a great book to just sit down with and page through, though, so any edition is a good one. And if you remember the show as fondly as I do, you'll want a copy of The Official Batman Batbook in your library.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE AMAZON KINDLE

THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO QUIZ BOOK

by Rich Meyer

FREE TODAY, MARCH 24TH
Ready to return to those bygone years of yesterday? When one man knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men? When for a half-hour you could lose yourself in adventures in time and space told in future tense? When you could hear the tuneful chords of "J-E-L-L-O" and be assured of  a lot of belly laughs? When you yourself would cringe as much as "HENNNNNRRRY! Henry Aldrich!"? Or do you just love old time radio? Then the Golden Age of Radio Quiz Book is for you! 

This quiz book e-book has interactive links between the questions and answers for easy navigation. The first half the book has questions geared toward the average OTR fan, while the stops are pulled out on the Stump the Experts questions! You're bound to come away with some fond memories anytime you go through part of either of this fun and entertaining quiz books!

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FREE ON AMAZON - SATURDAY MARCH 24th, 2012