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Rating: 
Summary: A Visual Treat -- Isn't that Enough?
Review: An excellent introduction to the life and work of American artist William Burroughs, it's especially notable for the beautiful design which incorporates snapshots, artifacts such as hat-cleaning receipts and Army reports, and washes of Burroughs' shotgun paintings which background each textured-paper page. This substantial hardback is reminiscent of Burroughs' own scrapbooks and penchant for the pastiche, its look and feel mimicking the experiments in randomness-- cut-ups and ballistics-- which (in)formed so much of his work. It is foremost a visual, tactile, and olfactory (new it smells like crayons) treat. The New York Times called this "an empty book," which is reason enough to love it. It's a pop biography, a primer on the grand-daddy of the beats. It's not deep, but as eye candy it's neat.
Rating:
Summary: interesting visual layout, without any insight
Review: Caveney's Gentleman Junkie, published in the United Kingdom under the title The Priest They Called Him, is the MTV Video of the Burroughs biographies. The layout of the book is visually stunning, often placing images of Burroughs' paintings, Burroughs himself, Burroughs' friends, or collages of his work underneath, behind, along with, or beside the text. If you've read the Barry Miles biography of Burroughs, or Literary Outlaw by Ted Morgan, there is nothing here in the pre-1980 material that you haven't read already. The chief virtue of Gentleman Junkie is the remarkable layout, which makes the book an artwork unto itself. The secondary virtue lies in the fact that it was published in 1998, many years after the Morgan and Miles biographies, and thus includes some info on an era those works missed. A list of Burroughs' works is appended, as is a skeletal index. While this book is interesting to look at, I would recommend Ted Morgan's book LITERARY OUTLAW as a better biography of Burroughs. ken32
Rating:
Summary: interesting visual layout, without any insight
Review: Caveney's Gentleman Junkie, published in the United Kingdom under the title The Priest They Called Him, is the MTV Video of the Burroughs biographies. The layout of the book is visually stunning, often placing images of Burroughs' paintings, Burroughs himself, Burroughs' friends, or collages of his work underneath, behind, along with, or beside the text. If you've read the Barry Miles biography of Burroughs, or Literary Outlaw by Ted Morgan, there is nothing here in the pre-1980 material that you haven't read already. The chief virtue of Gentleman Junkie is the remarkable layout, which makes the book an artwork unto itself. The secondary virtue lies in the fact that it was published in 1998, many years after the Morgan and Miles biographies, and thus includes some info on an era those works missed. A list of Burroughs' works is appended, as is a skeletal index. While this book is interesting to look at, I would recommend Ted Morgan's book LITERARY OUTLAW as a better biography of Burroughs. ken32
Rating:
Summary: So-So Book
Review: The only reason I read this book was because it was in Amazon's under $5 bargain bin. The fact that it is on sale should have been a red flag that it is not that good... However, this book makes a very nice coaster. It prevents my beautiful furniture from getting water stains from the beverages I set on it. This book is less then $5... Would it really hurt you that much to buy it??
Rating: 
Summary: The "Stryfe and Crimes" of William S. Burroughs
Review: This book is excellent. This book not only provides an insight into the world of W.S. Burroughs, but also brief insight into the lives of such figures as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. There are picturs throughout, and numerous quotes from Burroughs to spark the imagination, and promote new mental growth. This biography spans the time from his birth to his death, and to my knowledge is the most accurate and complete biography published so far about this dynamic literary figure. If you wish to learn more about this author, or about the beat world in general, this book will provide a world of answers.
Rating: 
Summary: All Style, No Substance
Review: This book is shallow and pretentious, the literary equivalent of a wine-and-cheese eater at a Soho gallery who cares more about being seen with the art crowd than exploring art. Caveney is the wine sipper, Burroughs the unfortunate artwork buried beneath Caveney's oh-so avant garde style. Rather than providing insight or information about his fascinating subject, Caveney pastes together a collage of hackneyed Burroughs images, and a few airy snippets of idolatrous prose. I got more pleasure from imagining how exciting a decent biography of Burroughs would be, than from reading this awful book.
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