Television; A Biography

New York: Thames & Hudson, 2016. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Format is approximately 7.25 inches by 10 inches. Publisher's ephemera laid in. 412, [4] Illustrations (92 images in color and black and white). A Note on Sources. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. DJ has small tear at top of spine. David Thomson (born 18 February 1941) is a British film critic and historian based in the United States and the author of more than 20 books. His reference works in particular - Have You Seen...?: A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films (2008) and The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (6th edition, 2014) - have been praised as works of high literary merit and eccentricity. Benjamin Schwarz, writing in The Atlantic Monthly, called him "probably the greatest living film critic and historian" who "writes the most fun and enthralling prose about the movies since Pauline Kael". John Banville called him "the greatest living writer on the movies". Derived from a Kirkus review: The eminent film writer offers a personal celebration of his particular fascinations and a provocative consideration of the ways in which the very mechanics of the medium affect the audience, both as individuals and as a mass culture. Thomson organizes the book thematically rather than chronologically. He analyzes the ways in which TV's unique qualities-endless variety, constant availability, and insidious tendency toward narcotized reassurance, to name a few-shape and contextualize viewers' understanding of the world. Thomson's insights are acute, and while many of the implications of his argument are troubling, his love and admiration for the best of TV are palpable. The author provides memorable sketches of figures from Lucy Ricardo to Larry David, but this is not merely a reference book. It's a love letter and a warning, beautifully written and deeply disquieting. An essential engagement with the ramifications of our lives before the small screen.