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80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards | 
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| Author: Robert Osborne
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Category: Book
List Price: $75.00
Buy New: $44.97
You Save: $30.03 (40%)
New (16) Used (1) from $44.97
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 48864
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 439
Shipping Weight (lbs): 7.3
Dimensions (in): 12.3 x 9.4 x 1.7
ISBN: 0789209926
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.43079
EAN: 9780789209924
ASIN: 0789209926
Publication Date: December 18, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For the film industry, the Academy Awards is the most celebrated and most significant night of the year: everyone longs for the recognition of being nominated to win a little golden statuette. For most of us, however, even a walk down the red carpet is just a dream. 80 Years of the Oscar puts readers into those iconic plush seats for the thrill of the Academy Awards, from the first show in 1928, shortly after the introduction of the talking picture, to this year's eightieth anniversary. With hundreds of photographs and an informative text by Hollywood insider Robert Osborne, 80 Years of the Oscar is the official history of the Academy Awards. Organized by year, 80 Years of the Oscar chronicles the ceremonies themselves, as well as the accomplishments, trends, developments, and events that occurred, both within the Academy and for the film industry as a whole. Osborne comments on each year's most important films and shares the stories behind them. He also transports readers into the awards show, quoting from notable acceptance speeches and celebrity reactions, as well as regaling readers with anecdotes from each year. All award nominees and winners are included, with a special listing of Oscar record-holders. An indispensable and encyclopedic reference for the amateur and expert alike, from the struggling actor to the film critic, this book has been a popular favorite since its first edition was published twenty years ago, just after the sixtieth awards ceremony. The authoritative 80 Years of the Oscar provides a depth of coverage found nowhere else, and it is sure to please movie-goers around the world. 855 illustrations, 85 in full-color
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| Customer Reviews:
Great encyclopedia of Academy Award knowledge January 7, 2009
This book is not a history in the since of most history books. It does not detail how the academy began, or how it changed over the years, or give you any kind of insider view of its workings. Instead, it is a complete listing of every nominee and every winner in every category since the award ceremony's inception in 1927. There are plenty of photographs of the nominees and images of scenes from the nominated films for each year, so it is not dry in the way many reference books are. In fact, Mr. Osborne's love of film and its history really shine through in the book. It is interesting to look through this book and see what we consider to be films that have withstood the test of time versus which ones were rewarded by the academy at the time. For example, in 1939, the Academy did recognize that "Gone with the Wind" was the best picture of the year, which people were lining up to watch in movie theaters until its television broadcast premiere in 1976. However, in 1941, "How Green was My Valley" won best picture, which is a film that hardly anyone watches anymore, while "Citizen Kane" was completely ignored. It's also interesting to see how the Academy compensated for past oversights by awarding performances that were less than stellar in subsequent years. For instance, in 1934 Bette Davis was overlooked in her performance in "Of Human Bondage". This caused a huge public outcry. The following year the Academy gave her the best actress award for her performance in "Dangerous"- a move that has largely been seen over the years as a consolation prize for what happened the year before.
This book is full of little insights such as these, and it is a fun book that gives hours of entertainment for film history buffs. I bought my first copy of this history by Mr. Osborne back in 1987 when he was then detailing the 60 years of the Oscar, and I enjoyed it so much I have been updating my copy every time he releases a new edition. Highly recommended.
Oscar gold January 6, 2009
For once, I'll keep my review super brief. If you love movies in general or the Academy Awards in particular, this is, simply, a must have. Concise, informative and with just enough illustrations to keep it visually interesting, it's an indispensable reference tool. It's really first-rate book but that's hardly surprising seeing that it's an Abbeville Press publication.
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