Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Hollywood Book of Love: An Irreverent Guide to the Films That Raised Our Romantic Expectations by James Robert Parish. If you're still waiting for bells to ring and sparks to fly, for fireworks to explode, and waves to crash upon the shore every time you kiss that special someone, don't hold your breath: you've been bitten-and brainwashed-by the Hollywood love bug! From start-up to breakup, only on the big screen is romance so unreal, and in this expansive, cheery, and amusing study you'll find enough smooches and schmaltz to take you from here ... to eternity From Bonnie and Clyde to Harold and Maude and from The African Queen to Titanic, this detailed-filled volume gives you all the steam from the screen in its entertaining exploration of Tinseltown's obsession with love, romance, and heartbreak. Inside this unique volume you'll find:* A guide to Hollywood's top tales of romance from "Young Love" to "Marriages on the Rocks" * Funny, fact-filled plot scenarios of a slew of Hollywood's great love stories over the decades* Spirited sidebars that reveal the reality behind the reel* Behind-the-scenes peeks at the love lives of Hollywood's sexiest stars, from Gary Cooper, Charles Boyer, Don Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, to Lupe Velez, Lana Turner, and Madonna

Savor the inside scoop on over-the-top superstars "I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. . . . I'm a billionaire!" "Acting is an empty and useless profession." "Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else." "I'm interested in being provocative and pushing people's buttons." Which screen icons gave us the quotes above? How do stars get away with self-indulgent, unrestrained behaviors-or do they? In The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, longtime industry insider and Hollywood historian James Robert Parish gives you a provocative look behind the scenes at the lavish indulgences and larger-than-life egos of Tinseltown's rich and famous. The featured celebrities range from heartthrobs to industry tycoons, and from yesterday's matinee idols to today's hottest celebs. The stars are grouped according to their excesses: ego, neurosis, partying, power, rich living, and romancing. You'll devour little-known details on the excesses and exploits of notables ranging from Mae West to Madonna, Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, Bela Lugosi to John Belushi, Zsa Zsa Gabor to Paris Hilton, Errol Flynn to Jude Law, and many more.

"Half of all marriages end in divorce--and then there are the really unhappy ones." --Joan Rivers Do you suppose that the person who first said "Life is stranger than fiction" might have had Hollywood marriages in mind? Why watch a romantic film starring a leading man and a leading lady when their real-life romances are so much more interesting? It seems that a celebrity's latest film can have a considerably longer life span in the theater than his or her marriage du jour. One would almost think that Tinseltown has come to embrace divorce as an accepted pastime. Some celebrities have seemingly collected spouses over the years, systematically adding notches in their belts of divorces. Cases in point: Zsa Zsa Gabor (nine), Lana Turner (eight), Elizabeth Taylor (nine), and Mickey Rooney (eight). This list appears to make Jennifer Lopez a mere novice with only three marriages, two divorces, and one terminated engagement to date. In The Hollywood Book of Breakups, James Robert Parish looks at scores of hot Hollywood romances that eventually fell apart. From the decade-long union of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to the "just-for-show" nuptials of Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates to the four-and-a-half-year marriage of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to the "other woman" divorce of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Parish covers it all--from the burning embers to the fizzling fires of Hollywood breakups. You couldn't make this stuff up--and James Robert Parish doesn't need to. Hollywood writes its own drama when it comes to scandalous breakups.

Who wrote the book of LOVE? Uncle John, of course! A book by any other name would not be so sweet and fact-filled. The perfect gift for your significant other, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Book of Love will tell you everything you need to know about this mysterious emotion and its trappings. Read about the history of chocolate, the origins of some lovely love songs, and history’s greatest romances. Plus you’ll learn what makes lipstick shimmer, how children define love, wacky ways to get married, and much more! It’s not just the endorphins talking…you’ll love this book!

Hollywood Love and Romance is an entertaining survey of love, romance, and marriage as depicted in the movies. Featuring films from film's silent era through the hits of today, it's an exhaustive, entertaining tome sure to satisfy any film buff interested in love and romance and film. Written in the same dry tone that's made Parish's previous film books, like The Hollywood Book of Death and Hollywood Bad Boys, so successful, Hollywood Love and Romance includes movies grouped in chapters on: Love at First Sight (Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, Titanic); First Love (Dirty Dancing, Splendor in the Grass); Doomed to Failure (Blond Venus, Mystic Pizza, The Apartment); Surviving the Family (Guess Who's Coming to Dinne?, My Big Fat Greek Wedding); True Love (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Ghost, The Philadelphia Story); Love and Death (Camille, Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Love Story); Bad Marriage (War of the Roses, Ruthless People); The Affair (An Affair to Remember, Anna Karenina); Femme Fatale/Bad Man (Of Human Bondage, Basic Instinct); Historical Romance (Elizabeth, Dr. Zhivago, Gone with the Wind); Rebound (40 Days and 40 Nights, Moonstuck, An Unmarried Woman); Codependency (Who's Af

Exploring Toronto’s history through tantalizing true tales of romance, marriage, and lust. Toronto’s past is filled with passion and heartache. The Toronto Book of Love brings the history of the city to life with fascinating true tales of romance, marriage, and lust: from the scandalous love affairs of the city’s early settlers to the prime minister’s wife partying with rock stars on her anniversary; from ancient First Nations wedding ceremonies to a pastor wearing a bulletproof vest to perform one of Canada’s first same-sex marriage ceremonies. Home to adulterous movie stars, faithful rebels, and heartbroken spies, Toronto has been shaped by crushes, jealousies, and flirtations. The Toronto Book of Love explores the evolution of the city from a remote colonial outpost to a booming modern metropolis through the stories of those who have fallen in love among its ravines, church spires, and skyscrapers.

¸ The words to Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" were initially so risqué they had to be completely rewritten - in the hallway of the studio, as time was running out - before the song could be recorded. (He wrote the original version while working as a dishwasher in a bus station in Georgia.) ¸ Paul Simon's 1972 hit "Mother and Child Reunion" takes its name from an elaborate chicken and egg dish served at Say Eng Look Restaurant in New York City. ¸ Nirvana's huge hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," interpreted by music critics and fans alike as an angst-ridden cry of teen rebellion, actually sprang from a bit of graffiti accusing Kurt Cobain of smelling like an antiperspirant for young women.