Product Description

Springfield...

Home of the Isotopes, Springfield A&M, and Blinkey, the world's first three-eyed fish! Birthplace of the Flaming Moe! The site of Krustylu Studios, the awe-inspiring Springfield Gorge, and a world-renowned box factory! O Springfield! What many wonders you offer up for our consumption!

Yes, we've all heard of Springfield called the country's "worst city" and "America's crudbucket." But is it all that bad? Well, maybe yes and maybe no--you be the judge! This handy, indispensable guide shows you where to go, what to do, and what to see in Springfield--and what shots to get before you visit. Along the way, you'll explore the culture, foods, and beliefs of everyday people and, in essays, photos, and sidebars, peer into the very soul of this dysfunctional, dynamic city! From the smoky majesty of the Springfield Tire Yard the crunchy, oily goddess of The Frying Dutchman seafood restaurant, from the swanky shopping of the South Street Squidport to nut-watching opportunities at the Bloodbath and Beyond Gun Shop, this is the guide for everyone planning a trip to the city that Springfield resident Marge Simpson calls, "a part of us all."

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #623272 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11-01
• Released on: 1998-10-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 132 pages

Amazon.com Review
The fictitious Are We There Yet? guidebook series falsely claims to have covered nonexistent towns from Lake Flaccid to Pwagmattasquarmsettport, but even if these other books and grim places existed, this lowdown on Bart's hometown would make any list of top vacation non-destinations. After a night at the Happy Earwig Hotel, you can trip the light Springtastic to the South Street Squidport, or shove Bart aside and try the Dirt Nap II game at the Noiseland Video Arcade. Catch the latest brainless blockbuster at the Googolplex Theatres, or get highbrow and catch Apu in Bright Lights, Beef Jerky at the Springfield Film Festival. Crave tunes? Try King Toot's Music Store, or nab a youth-culture CD at Suicide Notes (formerly Good Vibrations). Get a gravel rattle at Lullabuy$, the cut-rate baby emporium. Wolf a Creamycrunch Chugger at Gulp'n'Blow and dodge the swinging blade at the front door of the It's a Wonderful Knife shop. But please don't doff your radiation suit, and do read the signs: "This park is not copless, so please don't go topless." --Tim Appelo

About the Author
Matt Groening, the creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning series "The Simpsons," the "Life in Hell" cartoon series, and the animated Fox tv series "Futurama", is the man responsible for bringing animation to prime time.

In addition, Groening formed Bongo Comics Group in 1993 and currently serves as publisher of their four comic books -- Simpsons Comics, Itchy & Scratchy Comics, Bartman, and Radioactive Man.

Groening lives in Los Angeles, CA.All rights reserved.

FuturamaTM & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

A glorious guide to the "Simpsons" universe
In its many years as a successful TV series, "The Simpsons" has spawned a number of entertaining books. But the best of them all may be "The Simpsons Guide to Springfield." Written as a parody of a travel guide, this profusely illustrated book is a superb celebration of Homer's hometown.

The book is, like any travel guide, divided up into several sections: Lodging, Dining, Shopping, etc. Along the way are a number of brilliant parodic features. There are essays written by "Simpsons" characters (example: Rev. Lovejoy's guide to worship in Springfield); sidebars with short quotes from many Springfield residents (Dr. Nick Riviera, Martin Prince, and more); another series of sidebars highlighting many of the historic artifacts of Springfield (Jebediah Springfield's prosthetic tongue, the trillion-dollar bill, etc); and much more. From a map of Itchy and Scratchy land to the marquee of the Googolplex, this book is full of glorious detail.

Yes, "the Simpsons" is an entertaining TV show, and this book is a witty and well-constructed tribute to that series. But I think there's something more here. The world of "The Simpsons" is like the world of "Star Trek," J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, or some of the other great fictional universes of human creativity: it is an enormously rich and detailed alternate world with its own inner logic and mythic history. "The Simpsons Guide to Springfield" captures this compelling alternate universe in all its comic glory.

4 1/2 Hilarious but Not Authentic
The varying opinions of this book may reflect readers' expectations. Those who want a humorous book based on the "THe Simpsons" will love it; but those who want something more true to the TV show's presentation will ultimately feel some disappontment. As I read through the opening town history (recounting city founder "Jedidiah Obediah Zachariah Obediah Springfield) and quickly advanced to typical tourist guide chapters such as attractions, where to eat (and especially, to drink), city events, etc., I enjoyed the mix of pointed social and political satire, idiosyncratic cast, and implied or retold story lines that have made "The Simpsons" probably one the truely great animated shows (as well as comedies, period). THe book is a condensed reminder of favorite settings (much more so than episodes), and the entire Springfield gestalt: crooked politicians, inept police, the polluting nuclear plant, and the wide spectrum of schemes hatched by both boy and father Simpson.

However, it increasingly became evident that this was not a history according to "The Simpsons"; rather, many elements had been embellished or simply made up just for this book. In a way, it's the same kind of anything-for-money cynicism that pervades the show, and one can't help but feeling some admiration for the guile of the author(s). (I could be wrong, but I assume it's written by a staff of writers under Groening's name.)

Purists will have mixed feelings about the book's inventions, especially when they don't match the spirit and the wit of the show. For example, Lisa is relatively absent, her brother seems more like a delinquent than the loveable ten-year-old semi-innocent persona in the show, and the essential qualities of people such as Ned Flanders, Moe, Mr. Burns, and many others are never truely captured. As a fan, I felt entertained yet somehow taken. At least that is a true Springfield experience.

The redeeming qualities of the town and its citizens (these are easy to forget, but "The Simpsons" attack on hypocracy is often achieved through the "growth," if you will, of at least one person) are often overlooked, and there are too many gratuitous jokes about sleaze and easy booze. If you'd never seen the Simpsons before, your expectations would be lowered. Other than this overall approach, the book is both funny and witty, the pictures and color reproduction are excellent, and there is enough authenticity to tide you over between shows. A very good book alone, but one that is a little disappointing when compared to its inspiration.

It was an okay book.
I am a huge simpsons fan, and I probably have seen every episode yet, but this book was a little bit of a disapointment. It is obvious that it isn't one of Matt Groening's greatest books. I would recommend a diiferent one for anyone who wants to find out about the Simpsons and is just starting out. For anyone who needs extra information to fill their appetite for Simpsons mania, it would be okay. Still, its not exactly the most entertaining and humorous book written by this author. "Bart's Guide to Life" + "Guide to the Simpsons" + "The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album" are better books if your looking for a great book. In conclusion, unless you are a Simpsons fanatic, one who needs every bit of information that they can grab onto, don't go buying it.