Complete Book of Mash

Rating:
Summary: The Complete review for: The complete book of M*A*S*H
Review: If you got a question, or even an answer, if you want to check the facts, get this book! It covers all episodes of M*A*S*H.The book gives a couple paragraph of each episode in superb detail (this also includes the movie and final episode). Not only does it explains the episodes but also has interviews of most of the cast.It even includes vital information of the history of M*A*S*H. No M*A*S*H collection is complete without this book.
Warning: This book is very adictive.

Rating:
Summary: Not "complete", but worthwhile.
Review: Kalter's "complete" book of MASH is, sadly, not complete: many of the episode synopses are unsatisfactory in that they are incomplete, focus on a minor rather than the major story line or simply oversimplify stories to such an extent that they come across completely wrong.

The good thing, on the other hand, is that the synopses suffice to remind you of some particular episode, that there are complete lists of writers and directory for each episode, interviews with the main actors (Rogers, Alda, Farr, Linville, Farrell, Burghoff, Christopher, Morgan, Stiers and Swit) as well as writers/producers Gelbart, Reynolds and Metcalfe, and many pictures from the series, most in black and white, but also many in colour.

I would have wished for more behind-the-scenes information and more accurate story synopses, but as it stands, this book is a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf that no MASH aficionado should be without.

Rating:
Summary: Not "complete", but worthwhile.
Review: Kalter's "complete" book of MASH is, sadly, not complete: many of the episode synopses are unsatisfactory in that they are incomplete, focus on a minor rather than the major story line or simply oversimplify stories to such an extent that they come across completely wrong.

The good thing, on the other hand, is that the synopses suffice to remind you of some particular episode, that there are complete lists of writers and directory for each episode, interviews with the main actors (Rogers, Alda, Farr, Linville, Farrell, Burghoff, Christopher, Morgan, Stiers and Swit) as well as writers/producers Gelbart, Reynolds and Metcalfe, and many pictures from the series, most in black and white, but also many in colour.

I would have wished for more behind-the-scenes information and more accurate story synopses, but as it stands, this book is a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf that no MASH aficionado should be without.

Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: My wife bought me this book, knowing what a MASH-aholic I am, and I must say I am terribly dissapointed. The pictures are terrific, but the episode guide sounds like it was written by someone who didn't even watch the show. Many of the episode write-ups are incorrect, either entire storylines omitted, changed around or in certain instances, the author just made things up that never happened. ...

Jim Schmiedeberg

Rating:
Summary: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF M*A*S*H IS A GREAT BOOK!
Review: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF M*A*S*H IS A GREAT BOOK EVERY MASH FAN SHOULD HAVE THIS BOOK!

I LOVE THE PICTURES IN IT THEY ARE GREAT!

FROM A BIG MASH FAN FOR 6 YEARS NOW KIRSTEN

Rating:
Summary: I have good news, and I have bad news
Review: The good news is, that the photography and cast interviews in this book are fantastic. There are hundreds of color stills from the series, capturing the flavor of the show and some of it's most memorable moments. Plus, the background material and the the interviews have some real depth, going into detail about casting, how the actors developed their characters, praises and complaints, interesting retrospective thoughts, etc. That part is GREAT!

The bad news is, that the episode summaries leave much to be desired. As the author herself states, she was working primarily from scripts. That's a bad idea because, as every media buff knows, there are often last-minute changes and ad libs during filming that aren't in the scripts. Not to mention what happens during editing. The definitive version isn't what's written down on paper, it's what you finally see on the screen. The result is, that characters are misquoted in the book, and sometimes the "wrong" plotline is given preference. I realize it's a daunting task to watch 11 years of episodes over and over, but that's a must if you are going to write the "complete" book about a TV series. So, for making those plot summary mistakes, I'm docking the book one star.

Still, it is a very nice hardcover reference, and will certainly help you put your tape collection in order. (Although, now that the series is coming out on DVD, with all the episodes already in order on the discs, that won't be as much of a problem...) Even with it's deficiencies, it belongs in every MASH collection.

Rating:
Summary: I have good news, and I have bad news
Review: The good news is, that the photography and cast interviews in this book are fantastic. There are hundreds of color stills from the series, capturing the flavor of the show and some of it's most memorable moments. Plus, the background material and the the interviews have some real depth, going into detail about casting, how the actors developed their characters, praises and complaints, interesting retrospective thoughts, etc. That part is GREAT!

The bad news is, that the episode summaries leave much to be desired. As the author herself states, she was working primarily from scripts. That's a bad idea because, as every media buff knows, there are often last-minute changes and ad libs during filming that aren't in the scripts. Not to mention what happens during editing. The definitive version isn't what's written down on paper, it's what you finally see on the screen. The result is, that characters are misquoted in the book, and sometimes the "wrong" plotline is given preference. I realize it's a daunting task to watch 11 years of episodes over and over, but that's a must if you are going to write the "complete" book about a TV series. So, for making those plot summary mistakes, I'm docking the book one star.

Still, it is a very nice hardcover reference, and will certainly help you put your tape collection in order. (Although, now that the series is coming out on DVD, with all the episodes already in order on the discs, that won't be as much of a problem...) Even with it's deficiencies, it belongs in every MASH collection.

Rating:
Summary: The Very Incomplete Book of MASH
Review: The pictures are great.

That is the end of the vitues of this book. First of all the content of the plots of the storylines are mostly wrong with record to detail. Secondly, the recounting of only one storyline for each plot is a mistake. She could have taken out many of her unnecessary lines that had nothing to do with the plot, and then devoted more space to the real interesting plot lines.

SHe routinly reduces great episodes to their meaningless plot lines. Take "A War for All Seasons", the great MASH episode spanning all of 1952. Not one mention of the passage of time, only a brief reference to a kidney machine.

Also, the quotes she uses are usually weak and do not show the best of the MASH writing, espically the hallowed later seasons.

THe cast biographies are scattered and curt.

If you like pictures and wish to catalogue your vast MASH video collection, like I do, then the book is adequete

Otherwise, the other MASH works are prefereble, if you have a desire for true knowledge of the making and maintaining of the show.

Rating:
Summary: ALL of Mash
Review: This big colorfull book is really a joy to have on the coffe table, it brings you back to a special memory called Mash. This book is great, because it breaks down each episode, and season. with comentary from cast and crew. If you want to be a part of the show, or just need a conversation piece, The Complete Book of MASH is perfect! Again, the photo's are great an amazing amazon product.

Rating:
Summary: Pefect Book For A MASH Fan
Review: This book has almost everything that a MASH fan could want. Every season of the show is covered with a synopsis of each episode, the only problem with these synopsis' is that they could be a little more detailed (except for the synopsis of the final episode which is very detailed). This book also features a huge amount of full color pictures from the show and many interviews with every actor on the show and some of the producers and directors. With all these elements in place this is an awesome book for a MASH fan.