New Releases by Steve Martin

Steve Martin has been an international star for over thirty years. Here, for the first time, he looks back to the beginning of his career and charmingly evokes the young man he once was. Born in Texas but raised in California, Steve was seduced early by the comedy shows that played on the radio when the family travelled back and forth to visit relatives. When Disneyland opened just a couple of miles away from home, an enchanted Steve was given his first chance to learn magic and entertain an audience. He describes how he noted the reaction to each joke in a ledger - ''big laugh'' or ''quiet'' - and assiduously studied the acts of colleagues, stealing jokes when needed. With superb detail, Steve recreates the world of small, dark clubs and the fear and exhilaration of standing in the spotlight. While a philosophy student at UCLA, he worked hard at local clubs honing his comedy and slowly attracting a following until he was picked up to write for TV. From here on, Steve Martin became an acclaimed comedian, packing out venues nationwide. One night, however, he noticed empty seats and realised he had ''reached the top of the rollercoaster''. BORN STANDING UP is a funny and riveting chronicle of how Steve Martin became the comedy genius we now know and is also a fascinating portrait of an era.

Eric Fischl emerged in the 1980s as one of America''s most important figurative painters. His paintings, many of which show a single intense moment, compel the viewer to participate in a world of middle-class suburban ambiguity and drama. In Fischl''s engaging distinctly American canvases, narrative, morality, sexuality, and psychology are preeminent. This volume, an expanded edition of "Eric Fischl 1970-2000," is the most comprehensive examination of this important contemporary painter. More than 250 works, selected in conjunction with the artist, present the full scope of Fischl''s career: the formative work of the 1970s; the breakthrough paintings of the 1980s, including the controversial "Sleepwalker" and "Bad Boy"; and the mature work, often of a personal and contemplative nature, of the 1990s and 2000s. In his most recent paintings, Fischl has turned to multipiece cycles: "The Bed, The Chair" series, starting with "The Philosopher''s Chair"; canvases inspired by trips to Italy and India; and the paintings Fischl terms them "narrative fictions" of the "Krefeld Project." These engrossing images have been accomplished with a mastery that has been compared to that of Caravaggio. The introduction, by philosopher and critic Arthur C. Danto, offers a perceptive study of Fischl''s work over the course of four decades. Commentary drawn from interviews with the artist, conducted by noted writer Robert Enright, accompanies the paintings. Finally, a witty and personal afterword by Steve Martin, best known as a gifted comic actor and author, but also an astute collector of modern art, discusses "Barbeque," a famed Fischl painting from his private collection."

This handy 180-page book offers a great overview of QuickTime Pro, including a fundamental explanation of video encoding and an invaluable look-up guide of video codecs and the QuickTime Pro interface. Includes step-by-step tutorials for the five things people do most with QuickTime Pro: Capturing, editing, using different video tracks, exporting, and scripting QuickTime Pro actions with Automator. Available for both Windows and Mac, QuickTime 6 was downloaded more than 350 million times. Moreover 98% of those downloads were from PC users, at a rate of over 10 million per month. QuickTime Pro is now available and can be downloaded for $29.99.

Presents a rhyming couplet featuring each letter of the alphabet, with such characters as David the dog-faced boy, who dons a derby despite being dirty, and Victor, whose frequent victories have made him vainglorious.

This handy 180-page book offers a great overview of QuickTime Pro, including a fundamental explanation of video encoding and an invaluable look-up guide of video codecs and the QuickTime Pro interface. Includes step-by-step tutorials for the five things people do most with QuickTime Pro: Capturing, editing, using different video tracks, exporting, and scripting QuickTime Pro actions with Automator. Available for both Windows and Mac, QuickTime 6 was downloaded more than 350 million times. Moreover 98% of those downloads were from PC users, at a rate of over 10 million per month. QuickTime Pro is now available and can be downloaded for $29.99.

Daniel, a troubled man who lives alone, detached from the world, passes his time filling out contest applications and counting ceiling tiles, until his attachment to Clarissa and Teddy helps him rediscover the outside world.

Daniel is 30, 38 or 27, depending on how he feels that day. His life is rich and full, provided he never leaves his Santa Monica apartment. Outside are eight inch curbs, a neighbour''s murder and three women, whom he wants to know much better. The murder TV reconstruction may jeopardise his chances of winning the Most Average American Competition, which he''s already entered twice. Will this neurotic ever break free?

Daniel Cambridge es un tipo singular. Posee grandes dotes para el cálculo y las matemáticas, y está convencido de tener una personalidad irresistible; tanto que no se atreve a mostrarla.

Ein hochneurotischer Mann wird durch verschiedene Ereignisse aus seiner Einsamkeit gerissen und kann ein neues Leben anfangen.

Livro de estréia do ator Steve Martin, um dos mais talentosos comediantes americanos. No enredo, a balconista do título é Mirabelle, funcionária de uma elegante loja de departamentos de Los Angeles. Aos 27 anos, é uma mulher sozinha. Em seu caminho aparecem Jeremy, jovem atrapalhado no trato com mulheres, e Ray Porter, homem maduro e rico, que deseja uma relação mais flexível do que ela gostaria.

One of the most acclaimed and beloved entertainers, Steve Martin is quickly becoming recognized as a gorgeous writer capable of being at once melancholy and tart, achingly innocent and astonishingly ironic (Elle). A frequent contributor to both The New Yorker and the New York Times as well as the author of the New York Times bestseller Pure Drivel, Martin is once again poised to capture the attention of readers with his debut novella, a delightful depiction of life and love. The shopgirl is Mirabelle, a beautiful aspiring artist who pays the rent by selling gloves at the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus. She captures the attention of Ray Porter, a wealthy, lonely businessman. As Ray and Mirabelle tentatively embark on a relationship, they both struggle to decipher the language of love--with consequences that are both comic and heartbreaking. Filled with the kind of witty, discerning observations that have brought Steve Martin incredible critical success, Shopgirl is a work of disarming tenderness.

Steve Martin is one of America¿s most treasured actors, having appeared in some of the most popular moves of our time. He is also an accomplished screenwriter who has in the past few years turned his hand to writing plays. The results, collected here, hilariously explore serious questions of love, happiness and the meaning of life; they are rich with equal parts of pain and slapstick humour, torment and wit.

A collection of short humorous pieces including "Women Without Bones," "The Day the Dopes Came Over," "How to Fold Soup," Dogs in My Nose," "Cruel Shoes," and "What to Say When the Ducks Show up."