Product Description

He had many names: Ol' Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board, the Sultan of Swoon, the Voice. Ultimately, we will all remember Frank Sinatra as the World's Greatest Entertainer. The Voice lives on in this commemorative pictorial tribute to the life and 50-year career of the man who changed the face of music and movies from a humble beginning in Hoboken, New Jersey to his death on May 14, 1998 at age 82. In addition to being written by Nancy Sinatra, Frank's first-born daughter, this is the ONLY book done with the full cooperation of the Sinatra family. Reviewers rave "priceless," "a visual knockout," "a must-have for any Sinatra fan." Rare or previously unpublished photos and dozens of private stories told by his most intimate friends separate myth from the real deal and make this an extremely revealing--and truly poignant--testament to the legend who did it his way. Also features a complete discography and filmography.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #517904 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 383 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Singer Nancy Sinatra calls her father "a maverick who lives by rigid codes. A winner who feels connected to losers," and this unabashedly affectionate tribute is a moving portrait of an individualist both as man and as artist. Frank Sinatra's recording, performing, acting and personal activities unfold here month by month, year by year, in diary-like, dated entries decked out with some 400 color and b&w photographs, including many from the family's private archives. Interviews with or quotes from the 79-year-old himself, memorabilia, letters, insets and recollections by friends, lovers, co-stars (Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Lancaster, Mitch Miller, Sammy Cahn, ex-wives Mia Farrow and Ava Gardner, etc.) round out this album. Included is an illustrated, heavily annotated filmography of his 50-year screen career. Every serious Sinatra fan will want to own this volume, a visual knockout. 250,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo; first serial to Life magazine; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
These three books are due for publication in time for Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday. Two are somewhat similar. Britt's and Nancy Sinatra's efforts are both colorfully and copiously illustrated coffee-table books. Their subtitles reveal the viewpoint of the writers: they come to praise. Britt (The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz, Harmony: Crown, 1986) has organized this book by time periods and concludes each chapter with sections on recordings, movies, and performances. This leads to some unnecessary duplication. Additionally, there are some errors. Montgomery Clift did not receive an Oscar for From Here to Eternity and the Woodstock Festival occurred four years after, not before, Sinatra's Newport Jazz Festival appearance. Overall, the text seems to take a back seat to the illustrations. In her book, daughter Nancy is quite concerned with presenting the facts, making extensive use of eyewitness accounts and many interviews. This book is not a mere revision of her earlier Frank Sinatra, My Father (LJ 12/85), but a great deal is lifted directly from it. Comments and reflections from people who have worked with or been associated with Sinatra, such as Doris Day, Bing Crosby, and Richard Nixon, are liberally strewn. Nancy does a good job in refuting a lot of the charges that have been made about her father over the years. At the same time, she is very careful to quote almost exclusively from positive reviews. A most balanced picture of the man can be found in The Frank Sinatra Reader. Compiled by two professors of American studies, it contains essays and articles spanning the entirety of his career. The writers range from Stephen Holden and John Rockwell of the New York Times to fellow performers like Rosalind Russell and Harry Connick Jr. More material critical of Sinatra appears here than in the other two books put together, but it is still in the minority. The Reader is recommended for popular music collections and public libraries, Sinatra's and Britt's volumes as gifts for Sinatra fans.?Michael Colby, Univ. of California, Davis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
As part of the hoopla surrounding Frank Sinatra's upcoming eightieth birthday, daughter Nancy has assembled this scrapbook-style overview of her father's more than 50-year career. In chronological entries, it traces Sinatra's life from his birth in Hoboken, New Jersey, through what may well be his final concert given earlier this year. Unlike Will Friedwald's recent critical study of Frank's musical legacy, Sinatra! , Nancy's obviously partisan take gives equal treatment to Sinatra as movie star, sex symbol, and cultural icon, and it serves as an apologia for his Mob ties and loutish treatment of various reporters and women over the years. It pretty much rehashes all the standard elements of the Sinatra legend, affording surprisingly few new revelations and relatively little insight. The treats for Frankophiles, however, are the accompanying 400 photos, many taken from the family collection, and plenty of quotations from Sinatra's friends, associates, and the man himself--which, since he has said he's not going to pen an autobiography, may be his last words on his career. Friedwald offers far more substance, but Nancy's loving volume is more appropriate for those interested in Sinatra the phenomenon rather than the artist. Gordon Flagg

Customer Reviews

Everything you want to know about Frank is in this Book
I had to get this book after seeing how low the price came down.The original price was 40 dollars. Nancy Sinatra's book on her Father has everything in here.I couldn't believe Frank weighted 13and a half pounds when he was born on December 12,1915.The Doctor ripped and scarred his ear,check,and neck,plus puncturing his eardrum.Frank wasn't breathing,so his grandmother Rose held the baby under cold running water until he gasped his first breath and cried.This book is like a Diary.It goes from year to year,sometimes month to month.All of Franks movies,records,concerts,TV shows,songs,and the name of the songwriters are in here,plus hundreds of pictures,starting with Frank's baby photo, ending with a touching family photo taken in 1996.There's a wonderfull picture of Marilyn Monroe taken with Dean Martin sitting ringside at the Sands..All of the stars are in here,and family pictures we've never seen before.If you are a Frank Sinatra fan,you have to get this Book.Its huge,and the pictures are fantastic.

The ideal family album
No wonder this book is so thick- it's filled with numerous photos of Frank Sinatra, his family, and friends over the years. I love looking at these pics, and so will any other Sinatra fan. There is detailed info throughout the book as well. This is one worth having in your collection.

An excellent introduction to the life of Frank Sinatra
Sinatra was the century's greatest entertainer, with the sole possible exception of Louis Armstrong (sorry, Elvis fans -- TV Guide had it wrong!). I'm only in my thirties, but Sinatra has come to mean more to me than almost any other singer (except for Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald). This book is an excellent retrospective of his life, told chronologically by his daughter Nancy. Full of pictures and anecdotes from his friends and family, the book is free from most of the overblown hype and scandal-sheet tone of other biographies. While it is only an introduction, and not the last word, the book is a joy to read. As a bonus, a CD comes with the book, containing a number of rarities unavailable anywhere else. When you're done with this lovely volume, turn to Will Friedwald's book on Sinatra's music; at this point of my life, I don't really care to know more about Sinatra's personal struggles, but I do want to know as much as I can about his most enduring legacy: his music. And Friedwald does a better job than anybody else ever has.