The Complete War of The Worlds by Brian Holmsten, Alex Lubertozzi

In 1898, H.G. Wells wanted to find out what it would be like if an intelligent race of Martians turned the tables on Victorian England by conquering and colonizing the world's greatest empire. For readers around the world, The War of the Worlds elicited their darkest, deepest fears. In 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air adapted the H.G. Wells novel to radio and used that medium's immediacy, along with a series of realistic newsflashes as part of the story, to drive more than a million people mad with terror. Orson Welles said he wanted people to understand that...they shouldn't swallow everything that came through the tap, whether it was radio or not. He succeeded beyond his wildest expectations, while claiming absolute innocence the next day. The Panic Broadcast, as it would be known, became the most notorious radio broadcast in history. The Complete War of the Worlds tells the story behind the story-how H.G. Wells' tale of Martian invasion captured the imagination of Orson Welles, and how the book and the broadcast went on to inspire hundreds of imitators. In this book and audio CD, you will hear the actual 1938 Orson Welles broadcast, read the original book by H.G. Wells and the radio play by Howard Koch, and see the people, places and things that turned a story into a legend. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Here's a nifty pairing H.G. Wells's classic 1897 SF novel, The War of the Worlds, including the original magazine illustrations, together with Howard Koch's radio play adaptation made famous by Orson Welles in his October 30, 1938, broadcast, which fooled thousands of listeners into thinking the East Coast was under Martian attack. In addition to a foreword by Ray Bradbury and an afterword by Ben Bova, Sourcebook editors Holmsten and Lubertozzi supply an absorbing account of the broadcast's impact, which puts the hoax in historical context; an article on Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater; a survey of both imaginary and actual space flights to and from Mars and a succinct profile of H.G. Wells. It is interesting to learn that Wells at first resented the radio broadcast, believing Welles was going to read the novel, not dramatize it. Like other Sourcebook books (We Interrupt This Broadcast; And the Crowd Goes Wild; etc.), the package comes with an audio CD, which is keyed to relevant portions of the text. The CD features not only the original Mercury Theater broadcast but also the press conference Welles gave the next day and the KTSA radio interview of H.G. and Orson from 1940. The many b&w photos are particularly well chosen. (Apr.)Forecast: With a 50,000-copy first printing, this multimedia package should sell well to popular culture fans, not just SF buffs.SF/Fantasy/Horror Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Adult/High School-An introduction by Ray Bradbury includes historical and literary references about the radio performance of Howard Koch's adaptation of The War of the Worlds, read by Orson Welles and cast on October 30, 1938. Part one discusses events of the times and why so many people took the broadcast to be true. Part two delves deeper into the urban legend materials about Moon Men and Martians that appeared in print as early as 1835. It also covers other broadcasts of the adaptation with accompanying results. Part three includes a short biography of H. G. Wells, with comments about his life and work. The text of The War of the Worlds, as it first appeared in Pearson's magazine in 1897, follows and includes the illustrations by Warwick Goble. An accompanying CD includes the original broadcast along with Welles at the press conference the next day, an interview with H. G. Wells and Orson Welles together, an excerpt from a later broadcast, and an interview with Welles 40 years after the original broadcast. With all of this information gathered into a neat package, young adults have an opportunity to read, listen, and learn about one of the most important events of radio history and a science-fiction classic. Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. About the Author Brian Holmsten is a project editor with Sourcebooks. He has written numerous magazine articles as well as television and video scripts, and also teaches communications at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Alex Lubertozzi has written articles for Screen, Small Press and was a contributing editor for the highly praised pop-culture magazine, Pure. He has been writing and editing for 10 years and holds a masterÂ's degree in advertising from the University of Illinois. From School Library Journal Adult/High School-An introduction by Ray Bradbury includes historical and literary references about the radio performance of Howard Koch's adaptation of The War of the Worlds, read by Orson Welles and cast on October 30, 1938. Part one discusses events of the times and why so many people took the broadcast to be true. Part two delves deeper into the urban legend materials about Moon Men and Martians that appeared in print as early as 1835. It also covers other broadcasts of the adaptation with accompanying results. Part three includes a short biography of H. G. Wells, with comments about his life and work. The text of The War of the Worlds, as it first appeared in Pearson's magazine in 1897, follows and includes the illustrations by Warwick Goble. An accompanying CD includes the original broadcast along with Welles at the press conference the next day, an interview with H. G. Wells and Orson Welles together, an excerpt from a later broadcast, and an interview with Welles 40 years after the original broadcast. With all of this information gathered into a neat package, young adults have an opportunity to read, listen, and learn about one of the most important events of radio history and a science-fiction classic. Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. About the Author Brian Holmsten is a project editor with Sourcebooks. He has written numerous magazine articles as well as television and video scripts, and also teaches communications at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Alex Lubertozzi has written articles for Screen, Small Press and was a contributing editor for the highly praised pop-culture magazine, Pure. He has been writing and editing for 10 years and holds a masterÂ's degree in advertising from the University of Illinois. About the Author Brian Holmsten is a project editor with Sourcebooks. He has written numerous magazine articles as well as television and video scripts, and also teaches communications at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Alex Lubertozzi has written articles for Screen, Small Press and was a contributing editor for the highly praised pop-culture magazine, Pure. He has been writing and editing for 10 years and holds a masterÂ's degree in advertising from the University of Illinois.