|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
“Magnificent.” —Vanity Fair
“Fascinating . . . The sweeping story of the soulful German shepherd who was born on the battlefields of World War I, immigrated to America, conquered Hollywood, struggled in the transition to the talkies, helped mobilize thousands of dog volunteers against Hitler and himself emerged victorious as the perfect family-friendly icon of cold war gunslinging, thanks to the new medium of television. . . . Do dogs deserve biographies? In Rin Tin Tin Susan Orlean answers that question resoundingly in the affirmative . . . By the end of this expertly told tale, she may persuade even the most hardened skeptic that Rin Tin Tin belongs on Mount Rushmore with George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt, or at least somewhere nearby with John Wayne and Seabiscuit.” —Jennifer Schuessler, front cover of The New York Times Book Review
“Remarkable . . . Orlean’s pursuit of detail is mind-boggling. . . . The book is less about a dog than the prototypes he embodied and the people who surrounded him. It is about story-making itself, about devotion, luck and heroes. . . . Ultimately, the reader is left well nourished and in awe of both Orlean’s reportorial devotion and at her magpie ability to find the tiniest sparkling detail." —Alexandra Horowitz, San Francisco Chronicle
“Deeply moving . . . An unforgettable book about the mutual devotion between one man and one dog.” —Scott Eyman, The Wall Street Journal
“Dazzling . . . Susan Orlean has fashioned a masterpiece of reporting and storytelling, some of it quite personal and all of it compelling. Animal-related books have always peppered best-seller lists—Seabiscuit comes quickly to mind—and this one will top such lists. It deserves to, and also to work its way into millions of hearts and minds. . . . [Carl] Sandburg called Rin Tin Tin ‘thrillingly intelligent’ and ‘phenomenal.’ The same can be said for this remarkable book. . . . Spectacular.” —Chicago Tribune
“Epic . . . Heartfelt . . . An enormously satisfying story about a dog and the man who believed in him.” —Carol Memmott, USA Today
“Stunning . . . A book so moving it melted the heart of at least this one dogged Lassie lover . . . Don’t let the book’s title fool you. Calling Rin Tin Tin the story of a dog is like calling Moby-Dick the story of a whale. Orlean surfs the tide of time, pushing off in the 1900s and landing in the now, delivering a witty synopsis of nearly a century of Rin Tin Tins and American popular culture. The result is a truly exceptional book that marries historical journalism, memoir, and the technique of character-driven, psychologically astute, finely crafted fiction: a whole far greater than the sum of its parts.” —Meredith Maran, The Boston Globe
“It's a story of magnificent obsession. Nearly a decade in the making, combining worldwide research with personal connection, it offers the kind of satisfactions you only get when an impeccable writer gets hold of one heck of a story. . . . Deft . . . Insightful . . . Fascinating.” —Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“Susan Orlean has written a book about how an orphaned dog became part of millions of households, and hearts, in a way that may reveal the changing bonds between humans and animals, too. . . . One of the many pleasures of this book is the historical breadth of the story.” —Scott Simon, NPR’s Weekend Edition
“An improbably fascinating tale of one of the first canine celebrities, the times that catapulted him to fame, and the legacy that endures.” —People magazine’s “Great Fall Reads”
“Fascinating . . . The sweeping story of the soulful German shepherd who was born on the battlefields of World War I, immigrated to America, conquered Hollywood, struggled in the transition to the talkies, helped mobilize thousands of dog volunteers against Hitler and himself emerged victorious as the perfect family-friendly icon of cold war gunslinging, thanks to the new medium of television. . . . Do dogs deserve biographies? In Rin Tin Tin Susan Orlean answers that question resoundingly in the affirmative . . . By the end of this expertly told tale, she may persuade even the most hardened skeptic that Rin Tin Tin belongs on Mount Rushmore with George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt, or at least somewhere nearby with John Wayne and Seabiscuit.” —Jennifer Schuessler, front cover of The New York Times Book Review
“Remarkable . . . Orlean’s pursuit of detail is mind-boggling. . . . The book is less about a dog than the prototypes he embodied and the people who surrounded him. It is about story-making itself, about devotion, luck and heroes. . . . Ultimately, the reader is left well nourished and in awe of both Orlean’s reportorial devotion and at her magpie ability to find the tiniest sparkling detail." —Alexandra Horowitz, San Francisco Chronicle
“Deeply moving . . . An unforgettable book about the mutual devotion between one man and one dog.” —Scott Eyman, The Wall Street Journal
“Dazzling . . . Susan Orlean has fashioned a masterpiece of reporting and storytelling, some of it quite personal and all of it compelling. Animal-related books have always peppered best-seller lists—Seabiscuit comes quickly to mind—and this one will top such lists. It deserves to, and also to work its way into millions of hearts and minds. . . . [Carl] Sandburg called Rin Tin Tin ‘thrillingly intelligent’ and ‘phenomenal.’ The same can be said for this remarkable book. . . . Spectacular.” —Chicago Tribune
“Epic . . . Heartfelt . . . An enormously satisfying story about a dog and the man who believed in him.” —Carol Memmott, USA Today
“Stunning . . . A book so moving it melted the heart of at least this one dogged Lassie lover . . . Don’t let the book’s title fool you. Calling Rin Tin Tin the story of a dog is like calling Moby-Dick the story of a whale. Orlean surfs the tide of time, pushing off in the 1900s and landing in the now, delivering a witty synopsis of nearly a century of Rin Tin Tins and American popular culture. The result is a truly exceptional book that marries historical journalism, memoir, and the technique of character-driven, psychologically astute, finely crafted fiction: a whole far greater than the sum of its parts.” —Meredith Maran, The Boston Globe
“It's a story of magnificent obsession. Nearly a decade in the making, combining worldwide research with personal connection, it offers the kind of satisfactions you only get when an impeccable writer gets hold of one heck of a story. . . . Deft . . . Insightful . . . Fascinating.” —Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“Susan Orlean has written a book about how an orphaned dog became part of millions of households, and hearts, in a way that may reveal the changing bonds between humans and animals, too. . . . One of the many pleasures of this book is the historical breadth of the story.” —Scott Simon, NPR’s Weekend Edition
“An improbably fascinating tale of one of the first canine celebrities, the times that catapulted him to fame, and the legacy that endures.” —People magazine’s “Great Fall Reads”
Book Description
He believed the dog was immortal.
So begins Susan Orlean’s sweeping, powerfully moving account of Rin Tin Tin’s journey from orphaned puppy to movie star and international icon. Orlean, a staff writer at The New Yorker who has been hailed as “a national treasure” by The Washington Post, spent nearly ten years researching and reporting her most captivating book to date: the story of a dog who was born in 1918 and never died.
It begins on a battlefield in France during World War I, when a young American soldier, Lee Duncan, discovered a newborn German shepherd in the ruins of a bombed-out dog kennel. To Duncan, who came of age in an orphanage, the dog’s survival was a miracle. He saw something in Rin Tin Tin that he felt compelled to share with the world. Duncan brought Rinty home to California, where the dog’s athleticism and acting ability drew the attention of Warner Bros. Over the next ten years, Rinty starred in twenty-three blockbuster silent films that saved the studio from bankruptcy and made him the most famous dog in the world. At the height of his popularity, Rin Tin Tin was Hollywood’s number one box office star.
During the decades that followed, Rinty and his descendants rose and fell with the times, making a tumultuous journey from silent films to talkies, from black-and-white to color, from radio programs to one of the most popular television shows of the baby boom era, The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin. The canine hero’s legacy was cemented by Duncan and a small group of others—including Bert Leonard, the producer of the TV series, and Daphne Hereford, the owner of the current Rin Tin Tin—who have dedicated their lives to making sure the dog’s legend will never die.
At its core, Rin Tin Tin is a poignant exploration of the enduring bond between humans and animals. It is also a richly textured history of twentieth-century entertainment and entrepreneurship. It spans ninety years and explores everything from the shift in status of dogs from working farmhands to beloved family members, from the birth of obedience training to the evolution of dog breeding, from the rise of Hollywood to the past and present of dogs in war. Filled with humor and heart and moments that will move you to tears, Susan Orlean’s first original book since The Orchid Thief is an irresistible blend of history, human interest, and masterful storytelling—a dazzling celebration of a great American dog by one of our most gifted writers.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Irresistible,
By
This review is from: Rin Tin Tin: The Life & The Legend (Hardcover)
"Once upon a time, a hapless puppy was found, became a star, inspired people, stood for something, and endured." A staff writer for THE NEW YORKER, best-selling author Orleans is a thorough researcher. Her examination of how one dog had a profound impact on so many lives incorporates forays into the beginnings of Hollywood and TV, the German Shepherd Dog's origin and meteoric rise in popularity; the idea of dogs as heroes, as family companions, of obedience as a sport and of teaching owners how to train their dogs. I started this book one evening and had to make myself turn off the light at 3 a.m. Orleans' mingling of history with story telling is irresistible.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dog, A Character, A Dream, A Myth,
By
This review is from: Rin Tin Tin: The Life & The Legend (Hardcover)
Most of us, at least of sufficient age, have heard of Rin Tin Tin, either from the television show or movies, but what was it, a dog, a character, a dream, a myth? As author Susan Orlean tells us, he was a bit of each.Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd rescued from a battlefield in France in 1918 by an American soldier, Lee Duncan. Duncan brought him home and turned him into a movie star, a cult and a dynasty. Starting in silent films, the original Rin Tin Tin became the idol of millions. In the silent films the animals were often the stars whereas in talkies they assumed more supporting roles. As time passed Lee came to realize that owners usually outlive their dogs so Lee designated a Rin Tin Tin, Jr. and a series of successors. Through Lee and a series of dogs Rin Tin Tin remained in the public eye, becoming a spokesdog for products, such as dog food and the figurehead for the War Dogs program during World War II. After the war the Rin Tin Tin Dynasty adapted to television with a program set in the West that ran for several years. Eventually Lee Duncan died and the Rin Tin Tin legacy was preserved by Bert Leonard, who had promoted the "brand" for several years, including the television program. As that was winding down, Jannettia Brodsgaard bought a Rinty descendent and established a line Texas. Sadly, like so many American stories, the courts would become involved in determining who had the rights to the Rin Tin Tin name and property. Besides what Rin Tin Tin meant to the public, it became a life's work and a life's companion for his discoverer, Lee Duncan and some others who were captured in its orbit. That is a story that is both heartwarming and a little sad as one realizes how Rinty became a part of a family and supplanted normal family relations. Besides the story of a dog, a character, a dream and a myth, this book tells the story of dogs and how their role in American life changed, in part because of Rin Tin Tin, Lassie and other canine stars of the silver screen. On these pages we learn that the German Shepherd breed was established in 1899 and became popular in the United States primarily as a result of Rin Tin Tin, just as Lassie would do the same for collies and another actor-dog would make Rover a leading name for pets. During the reign of the Rin Tin Tin dynasty dogs would shift from being primarily work animals to being household pets. An aspect of the story that came as a total surprise to me is the history of the war dogs: those who identified the living from among the dead, carried messages, cargo and bombs and served their countries along with human soldiers. The recruiting of dogs for service in both world wars and their use in subsequent conflicts opened a whole new chapter in military history. Whether you are a lover of dogs, movie and television folklore or just history, this is a book you will not want to miss.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adventures of a dog that take you to a historical journey,
By Suhail Zubaid AHMAD "Suhail Zubaid-Ahmad" (Mississauga, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Rin Tin Tin: The Life & The Legend (Hardcover)
This book is about a favourite TV character of the days gone by. Of course, you get to know about the origin of Rin Tin Tin, how and where was he found as a puppy, and about the person who found him and owned him. But this is not just about it.Author Susan Orlean does a magnificent job in not only telling us about the dog through primary research, but in the process, educates us about the horrors of the First World War, the Great Depression, and the Second World War and about the development of German Shepherd dogs as a breed, the age of the silent movies and talkies, development of Hollywood as a centre of film making, advent of television and its development, change in dog culture, the baby boomers, merchandising around popular TV programs, competitor dogs like Strongheart, Lassie, etc., so on and so forth. It kept a person like me deeply engrossed, but herein lies the problem also. As long as the author stuck with the original Rin Tin Tin and his owner Lee Duncan, the story remained very interesting. For the second half of the book, her focus went off Rin Tin Tin and Duncan. My guess is that she could not find enough material on the dog itself to write about him as a central character. Instead, because of the available records, she started building the story on all attendant characters. If you are a person like me who is interested in reading the main story and anything that is offered as an additional learning material, this book is for you. If you are interested only in Rin Tin Tin, the Dog then the second half of the book will prove to be a tad drag. The book itself is easy to read due to large fonts. It is organized in chapters and sub-chapters that are easy to handle. It has some pictures also, although I would have welcomed more.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
