- Hardcover: 350 pages
- Publisher: PROMETHEUS BOOKS (Dec 31 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1573926787
- ISBN-13: 978-1573926782
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 576 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,071,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
A history of pornographic film that achieves neither coherence nor climax, Ford's book suffers from the disregard for narrative and production values typical of pornography. Though Ford (who runs two Web sites covering the porn business) makes sporadic efforts at delineating the development of sex in film, such attempts tend to get derailed by his rambling, defensive discussions of favorite porn figures and by collections of often contradictory quotations, grouped approximately by topic. Even when a particular subject catches Ford's interest?the Cosa Nostra, for instance, discussed at length in Chapter 5?he fails to shape it into a readable story. Nonetheless, such interludes of relative lucidity offer a welcome respite from Ford's offensive generalizations about, among others, Jews ("Though only two percent of the American population, Jews dominate porn"). Perhaps most disturbing of all, Ford doesn't appear to be especially well-informed on his topic: he barely mentions gay porn and the vast majority of his many, many plot synopses are quoted from other sources. He's not even clear on whether porn should have plot and character or whether they're just annoying distractions. Finally, there's not much new ground covered here. Even porn devotees will find little of interest, unless the pictures (not seen by PW) prove more alluring than the text, which reads like a very rough draft.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"...a thoroughly fascinating read." -- Contact Publications, February 2000
"...aggressive, eloquent, he's...the industry's Matt Drudge." -- The Weekly Standard
"...fascinating and inherently readable -- who knew there actually existed an 'art porn' movement in the late '70s?" -- Daily Californian
"...fascinating for its glimpses of those involved in the industry." -- The Chronicle, January 14, 2000
"...he breaks legitimate stories that have a huge impact. Meet Luke Ford, chronicler of the porn world." -- Online Journalism Review
"...interesting and surprising insights..." -- Bookviews, July 1999
"...aggressive, eloquent, he's...the industry's Matt Drudge." -- The Weekly Standard
"...fascinating and inherently readable -- who knew there actually existed an 'art porn' movement in the late '70s?" -- Daily Californian
"...fascinating for its glimpses of those involved in the industry." -- The Chronicle, January 14, 2000
"...he breaks legitimate stories that have a huge impact. Meet Luke Ford, chronicler of the porn world." -- Online Journalism Review
"...interesting and surprising insights..." -- Bookviews, July 1999
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
This book is a mess....,
By A Customer
This review is from: History Of X 100 Years Of Sex In Film (Hardcover)
Somewhere, buried in this book, is some interesting, little-known information. This author would seem to have a lot of the inside dope on the subject - he's obviously followed the subject for many years. So it's worth a read if you are REALLY interested and can manage the author's, uh... "style."Because this author can't write worth beans. Everything previously reviewers have alleged about him is true, and more. If there was *any* copy editing or checking involved, it's not obvious. This book IS rambling, discursive, contradictory, aimless, and badly organized. A passion for pointless footnotes masks not only all this literary chaos but also a very weird, murky, attitude that can only be described as self-loathing. It's like the old crime magazines that used to glorify sex and violence by publicly deploring it - in lengthy and graphic detail. Why somebody who so clearly despises his topic should spin his wheels so furiously about it escapes me. If you can find this book at a library, yard sale, or etc. it might be worth reading once over lightly. But pay full hardback price for it only if you've got money to burn. As somebody has already written: surely there must be a better basic source on the subject?
2.0 out of 5 stars
Surely there's a better history?,
This review is from: History Of X 100 Years Of Sex In Film (Hardcover)
The PW review really summed it up -- this book is poorly edited, incoherent, meandering, and filled with shameful generalizations about the nature of men, women, and sex (and Jews, and...). If it weren't about the only book out there that even bothers to attempt to review the history of porn movie making (with most of its focus on the California era of the 70's through the 90's), it would deserve one star -- or less.As it is, its facts are wrong, its gossip misleading, and its author clearly conflicted about his love and loathing of sexually explicit entertainment. But it is an interesting enough read (perhaps in the train wreck sense) that I finished the book. I didn't learn much more than I already knew, however. The shame of it is, this could have been a really good book, had some editor taken Ford firmly in hand and made him shape his chapters into a coherent form. It's not for nothing that the man has earned fame as a porn industry watcher; Ford has a trashy tabloid style that certainly grabs the attention (and there's nothing wrong with trashy tabloidism in its place!). But instead of guidance, he was handed a book contract and allowed to ramble without rein. The result is sad and unworthy of being clad between two covers. Blog-like ramblings on a website are one thing; I expect more rigorousness from a book I'm supposed to pay for.
5.0 out of 5 stars
RIVETING!!,
By Becca Five "Becca" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: History Of X 100 Years Of Sex In Film (Hardcover)
I can't recall when I've read a more interesting book on the adult industry. Luke Ford has definitely done his homework. His writing style amazed me and held me spellbound through each and every page. Bravo, Mr. Ford!
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