Gil Fates' WML? Book

[bscripps]

Delurking for a moment...

So I've just finished reading a book, and I'm looking for something new to read.  And, coincidentally, I got an e-mail from eBay telling me that there's a copy of the Gil Fates "What's My Line?" book up for auction this week.  The price quickly jumped over $120, and considering I've got somewhere I can get a copy for less than that, I obviously skipped it.

But my question is this, for those of you who own it or have read it: beyond any collectible value, beyond anything else...is it worth the cost?  I'm a big fan of the show, and I read a lot of books on television programs, and I fully expect I would enjoy it.  I'm not necessarily asking if it's "hundred bucks good"; rather, is the actual read worth the premium?  Is it a good book?

[Adam Nedeff]

It's a hell of a book, actually. I'd never pay $120 for it, but it's fascinating from a couple angles:

#1. Showing how a game show develops from first idea to format to format tweaking to on-air execution. (I thumbed through my copy just this week and realized for the first time how similar the first idea for the series was to "Identity." They tweaked it into what we now know as "What's My Line?" because they decided in 1949 that the "Identity"-like format was boring. Think about that one.)

#2. Antecdotes galore. It's easy to forget how much history the entire show covered, and Gil goes into detail about how the Red Scare and the quiz show scandals both had significant effects on the series.

#3. Even when Gil gets sidetracked, the sidetracks are great reads on their own. In a book titled "What's My Line?" he manages to go into detail about To Tell the Truth, I've Got a Secret, and the Showoffs pilot. In particular, the I've Got a Secret stuff is so interesting that it almost made me wish that he had written a second book about it.

#4. It has pictures.

Again, the $120 price tag is JOKE, but if you can ever find a used book dealer or a library, get the thing.

[MrBuddwing]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'146791\' date=\'Feb 24 2007, 02:28 AM\']
Again, the $120 price tag is JOKE, but if you can ever find a used book dealer or a library, get the thing.
[/quote]

And put it up for sale on eBay. (Assuming it's yours and not the library's.)

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'bscripps\' post=\'146790\' date=\'Feb 24 2007, 01:56 AM\']
 The price quickly jumped over $120, and considering I've got somewhere I can get a copy for less than that, I obviously skipped it.
[/quote]
I'm guessing it's not Amazon? :-P

/And I thought the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" book was ridiculously expensive!
//First, it was a Playboy article...
///Then a book......
///THEN a movie.

ObGameShow: "1 vs. 100" is a good show.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' post=\'146791\' date=\'Feb 24 2007, 02:28 AM\']Again, the $120 price tag is JOKE[/quote]
Well, don't be so sure.  For whatever reason (and I still have a hard time seeing what that reason is), that book consistently fetches a hefty price each and every time it's put up for bids.  Back when I was checking regularly, $50-$70 final bids were the norm, so it doesn't surprise me at all that they're occasionally going for more.  It's been a while, but I used to find one every so often at a local used book store for ten or fifteen bucks, buy it, then immediately turn around and sell it on Ebay for a nice profit.

(Of course, I also vividly remember seeing stacks of them at a clearance warehouse back in the early eighties.  I could have had as many copies as I wanted, boxes and boxes of them, for a dollar each.  Who knew?)

[Jimmy Owen]

One of the libraries in town had it and it was a fun read, but after I finshed it I didn't really have a desire to actually buy the book.

[Jimmy_1]

The book is a fun read and you will learn some stuff, but I wouldn't pay the prices you're discussing for it.  We're not talking about SOOOOOO MUCH information in this book that you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the biz.  Twenty to forty bucks, sure (the new John Tyler bio cost nearly 40 at bookstores - and online deals weren't much better), so you won't get the book for 50 cents, but I can think of other things I want more for $120.

[calliaume]

My copy was bought used in the mid-80s, probably for no more than two dollars.  I'd taken it out as a library book before.

For heaven's sake, think about what you could do with $120 first before putting down a bid.

[chris319]

And I could have had my copy autographed by the author ... waaaaah!

[Tim L]

I've taken the book out a few times at my local public library.  If I even had the money to purchase it I would never pay more than 20 bucks for it anywhere..And It would have to be in reasonable shape.

[alfonzos]

I would like to add my voice to the chorus: the book book is a great read but $120 is too much to pay.

[Chief-O]

Same here: I've read the book too, but the most I'd pay is probably $10 or so for it.

[uncamark]

To join in--good book, but no book's worth $100.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'Tim L\' post=\'146852\' date=\'Feb 25 2007, 03:44 PM\']
I've taken the book out a few times at my local public library.  If I even had the money to purchase it I would never pay more than 20 bucks for it anywhere..And It would have to be in reasonable shape.
[/quote]

Instead of spending $100+ on Fates book on e-bay and you needed to have this book in your collection, I'd rather spend a fraction of the cost to get a copy from the local library and, if it's in decent shape, claimed to have "lost" the book and just pay the $20-25 fine (again, just a hypothetical situation -- I do not condone this practice).  At least that way, you can see the condition of the book *and* you have it in your hands, which is more accurate than what some e-sellers promise out there.

[MrBuddwing]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'146925\' date=\'Feb 26 2007, 01:22 PM\']
Instead of spending $100+ on Fates book on e-bay and you needed to have this book in your collection, I'd rather spend a fraction of the cost to get a copy from the local library and, if it's in decent shape, claimed to have "lost" the book and just pay the $20-25 fine (again, just a hypothetical situation -- I do not condone this practice).  At least that way, you can see the condition of the book *and* you have it in your hands, which is more accurate than what some e-sellers promise out there.
[/quote]

::slapping head:: I'm such a dunce! Once, when I lost a public library book, I actually went to the trouble of tracking down another copy and giving it to them! What a fool I was!