April 2008 comes to a close

April started out with the great news of reading about Rainbow Orchid being published (I have been a longtime fan), hearing about the special events in Italy for Josef von Sternberg (wish I could see), another record month of visitors (including fans during Chaplin's Birthday) my G4 dying (I knew that was coming, just was hoping to update later this year) and getting a new computer (which I am still settling into, after seven years on my favorite system). 

May will have some new posting for Edna's site, including my next Lita Hill video, a special 'fan' slide show and a video trip to London.  I will be updating the Latest Page in the Chaplin Library, with new books from Dominique and I still have more coming for the library as well.

On the Sea Gull book news, we like to thank everyone who bought books in April. Also, we have been contacted by a group of historians in Carmel, California. They have purchased copies of the book and will be helping to see if some of the locations can be 'pinpointed' from the Monterey Bay area. 

From my earlier research, the dock scenes in The Sea Gull book were taken at Monterey Bay, California. Additional scenes were taken near Carmel.

Some of the other scenes in the book appear to be around Point Lobos or even the 17-mile-drive area. They agree that some appear to be around Point Lobos, and will be seeing if they can pinpoint some of the locations.

As always, just keep checking back for the latest and thanks very much for visiting.

Latest from Publishers Weekly on Amazon

The latest from Publishers Weekly on the Amazon Booksurge push for full control. See the full article at this link

"Along with discussions of hot books and high prices at this month’s London Book Fair, another major topic of conversation in the aisles was Amazon. The immediate flashpoint was the e-tailer’s new policy of making publishers who use print-on-demand go through its BookSurge subsidiary if they don’t want to risk having Amazon deactivate the buy button on their titles.

"While Amazon has so far been concentrating on implementing the policy primarily with online publishers such as AuthorHouse (which just agreed to use BookSurge), Amazon has said it wants all publishers, including traditional publishers, to use BookSurge for POD. The head of one of the major houses called the demand “outrageous,” but declined to say if this publisher had plans to use BookSurge." - Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly

Update April 29, 2008 - If you visit Amazon on this date April 29, 2008, you will see an open letter from Amazon and a link to their letter to shareholders, which they said they don't normally do. It is about their Kindle product, but a look into the direction they want to go. Here is a bit:

"We started by setting ourselves the admittedly audacious goal of improving upon the physical book. We did not choose that goal lightly. Anything that has persisted in roughly the same form and resisted change for 500 years is unlikely to be improved easily.

At the beginning of our design process, we identified what we believe is the book’s most important feature. It disappears. When you read a book, you don’t notice the paper and the ink and the glue and the stitching. All of that dissolves, and what remains is the author’s world.

We knew Kindle would have to get out of the way, just like a physical book, so readers could become engrossed in the words and forget they’re reading on a device."

(This is only a 'bite' so go to Amazon today to read the whole letter. I guess I'm 'old fashion' but I prefer a nicely produced book on the shelve, like I still enjoy album covers. We lost LP record covers, could printed books we next on the 'endangered' list. And I haven't notice any of my favorite books disappearing.)

Follow-up - May 5, 2008 - The death of the mom and pa bookstores continue as one of our last local shops will be closing soon, after 35 years in business. Their comments on the closing:

"Amazon is taking the biggest bite out of us, and Wal-Mart and Costco and Barnes & Noble," she said. "Every grocery store sells books."

"When Barnes & Noble came to town, we stayed around after the other bookstores had to close, but we've been hanging on.

Christmas sales were slow, "and it just got worse," she said. "Usually spring break picks up and we can get through the summer. We had tourists, but nobody was buying. They'd just come in and look or come in and write down names so they could buy it at Amazon."

May 21, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal reports that Barnes & Nobles is studying to buy Borders. Borders is having declining sales, and if approved, could be ripe for a takeover, as the few big booksellers try to position themselves better in the current book market. Here is the link to the May 21, 2008 WSJ article. Please note, this WSJ article maybe on the web only for a short time. You can research the Wall Street Journal or search for latest articles on this news.

Silent Films returned to the US

The Australian government plans to return to the USA eight silent films. These films included news reel footage and a one-reel Western called 'The Prospector" created by Essanay Films. This article from Variety mentions the films being returned:

"The titles are "The Prospector" (1912), a one-reel Western made by Essanay Film Manufacturing; "Sin Woman," trailer (1921), a preview for a melodrama; "Mutt and Jeff: On Strike" (1920), an animated short of the popular cartoon characters; and "Long Pants," trailer (1927), a preview for Frank Capra's comedy starring Harry Langdon.

The other four shorts are a 1920 Pathe newsreel, a U.S. Navy documentary, a travel tour of Japan and an early Hollywood promotional short of movie celebs playing baseball." - Variety

Author Lon Davis, comments on The Sea Gull

"For years I have read about the lost Chaplin-Von Sternberg-Purviance film, A Woman of the Sea, but I never thought I would see more of it. Thanks to the work that Linda and Wesley Wada have done, I can now envision what it may have been. Linda’s book, The Sea Gull, is an astonishing accomplishment. The sheer quality of the photographs, and the overall presentation, will give silent film aficionados a book they will cherish forever."

Lon Davis, author
Silent Lives: 100 Biographies of the Silent Film Era

600!

Thank you, Edward, for making the count 600 on Walk of Fame!

As signatures keep growing... "As great nephew of Mabel Normand I wholeheartedly endorse that Edna Purviance be given her rightful and proper recognition by the city of Hollywood at last. A great lady and star loved not only by Chaplin but by her millions of fans and colleagues in the early pioneering days of the motion picture industry." - Stephen Normand

Sunday, April 19th - Good to see all the new names on the list. One bit of a correction on this entry:

"Utah's first silent film star."

Edna Purviance was born and grew-up in Nevada, not Utah. Her parents met in Boise, Idaho, lived in Hailey, Idaho and in Paradise Valley, Nevada and Lovelock, Nevada. Edna's family never lived in Utah. But she did visit Utah in her adult years.

Happy 119th anniversary for Charlie!

Francine Bélanger

Special Edna and Charlie Tribute

Since I started Edna's site in November 2001, I have met many Edna and Charlie fans from around the world. Some I have had the pleasure to meet in person, others by the web. Many have become regular readers to Edna's site, and at times, send me special items sharing their love for Charlie and Edna.

Today, on Charlie's birthday, I share with you a special tribute to Edna and Charlie from Francine Bélanger from Quebec, Canada.

In November of 2007, Francine sent in a video to Le Banquier (translates: The Banker). The program is Canada's version of the international game show called Deal or No Deal.

This is Francine's video for the program in hopes of helping her dream come true. Francine has written the introduction for us in French and translated to English. The video program is in French.



___________________________

Deal or No Deal (Le Banquier)
Quebec, Canada

En novembre dernier, j’ai décidé d’envoyer une vidéo à l’émission Le Banquier car j’aimerais gagner beaucoup d’argent pour réaliser mes rêves.

Premièrement, je suis une fan d’Edna et Charlie depuis 25 ans. Ma grand-mère m’appelait Charlie car je ne mangeais pas à la table, je riais. Elle m’a parlé des films de Charlie et de sa vie. Je me sentais mieux alors que j’étais un enfant malade.

Et toujours dans ma vie, quand j’ai besoin d’énergie, je regarde les films de Charlie et je me sens mieux. Si la réincarnation existe, j’aurais aimé être Edna car elle a été très chanceuse d’être proche de lui. J’ai découvert une merveilleuse actrice dans ses films…

Le Banquier pourrait m’aider à réaliser plusieurs choses. J’aimerais aller à Hollywood. Marcher sur la rue des étoiles et placer mes pieds sur l’étoile de Charlie et celle d’Edna aussi… J’aimerais aller à Lovelock, Paradise Valley et Londres aussi. Faire un merveilleux voyage. Visiter le 287 Kennington Road et le musée Chaplin en Suisse.

Pour mes 40 ans en 2010, j’aimerais placer ma main sur la poignée de porte d’entrée et appeler mes filles pour leur dire que je réalise mon rêve. Marcher dans la maison et sur le terrain. J’arriverai tôt au levé du soleil et repartirai quand il se couchera.

De plus, j’aimerais voir un film de Charlie avec orchestre symphonique en Italie, Angleterre ou Etats-Unis. J’aimerais réaliser tous ces rêves.

En attendant de recevoir un appel pour une audition, je regarde mon livre Sea Gull et je reste positive. J’ai travaillé très fort pour ce vidéo et j’espère que vous l’aimerez.

Francine Bélanger, fan de Quebec, Canada.
________________________

English:
Deal or No Deal (Le Banquier)
Quebec, Canada

Last November, I decided to send a video to Le Banquier because I would like to win a lot of money to make my dreams come true.

First, I am a fan of Edna and Charlie for 25 years. My grandma called me Charlie because I never eat, I always laughed when sitting at the table. She talked to me about Charlie’s movie and his life, and it made me feel better when I was a sick child. And ever in my life, when I need some energy, I watch Charlie’s movies and I feel always better. If reincarnation did exist, I would be Edna. She was so lucky to be close to him. I discovered Edna in Charlie’s movie. A wonderful actress…

Le Banquier could help me to realise many things. I would like to go to Hollywood. Walk on Walk of Fame and put my foot on Charlie star and (maybe Edna’s too…)

I would like to go to Lovelock and Paradise Valley and London too. Make a wonderful trip. Visit the 287 Kennington Road and Chaplin Museum in Switzerland.

For my 40th anniversary in 2010, I would like to place my hand on the entrance door and call my daughters and tell them I realise my dream. Walk in the house and around the house. I will arrive early in the morning when sunrise until the sun goes to sleep. I would like to see a movie of Charlie with an orchestra in Italy, England or USA. I really would like to realize all those dreams.

Until I receive a call to go on audition, I look at my book The Sea Gull and continue to be positive. I worked hard on my video. I hope you enjoy it.

Francine Bélanger, fan from Quebec, Canada.
__________________________

Linda Wada's photo of Charles Chaplin in Leicester Square, London, England. More of Charlie's statue here.

Charlie Chaplin's Birthday - April 16, 1889 - London, England

Happy Birthday Charlie!

April 16th is Charlie Chaplin's Birthday! For fans who don't have to work on Wednesday, Turner Classic Movies is having a full day of Chaplin films, with Edna Purviance and many of the favorite Chaplin players.

And for my regular readers, who have been watching, I have the second video in my Lita Hill series. This video is Lita with a Special Friend. I have another video short to come.

(Update: We have had record traffic the last couple of days, and I noticed all the videos have been getting heavy viewing. So if it seems a bit slow, just wait a bit for loading and hit the ReStart Link on the video page. Thanks for your patience and for visiting!)

So watch TCM, if you can, but if not, pop in the player one of your favorite Chaplin and Purviance films today. Happy Birthday Charlie!

Charles Chaplin 1972 Oscars

On April 16, 1972, in Los Angeles, California, Charlie Chaplin received a special honorary Academy Award. I have not seen a full version of this event since I saw it live in 1972, but this link is to an edited version of that evening. Link>

It was Academy President, Daniel Taradash who appears in this video introducing Charles Chaplin. If you watched the movie 'Chaplin', there is a line where Robert Downey Jr. says something like, 'Taradash', sounds like a spice. Daniel's clip is part of that film.

(And followers of Robert Downey Jr. should know his next film 'Iron Man' opens soon. Thanks for the question.)

Grand View Cemetery May have another opening

April 2008 - Glendale News reports that the owners of Grand View Cemetery are trying to open the cemetery for another ONE DAY opening in late May. more> (article available for 15 days at GN)

"The tentative plan to open the park on May 25 (2008) could be confirmed at a status conference hearing on May 16 in Los Angeles Superior Court." - Glendale News

Josef von Sternberg, IL CINEMA RITROVATO

Il Cinema Ritrovato
Bologna, Italy
June 28-July 5, 2008
Josef von Sternberg
The film work of Josef von Sternberg will be the main event at the 2008, IL CINEMA RITROVATO. Many of Josef's films will be shown and I have even learned a presentation on The Sea Gull is on the schedule. Link to full schedule.

From the information released:
"The most spectacular presentation is dedicated to Josef von Sternberg, "the inventor of Marlene Dietrich" – all six American Sternberg-Dietrich films will be shown - and before that the creator of a fabulous silent oeuvre which we will show in too.

The Salvation Hunters (1925), his first film presented in a new print splendidly preserved by UCLA, is already a supreme naturalist illusion that reveals the force of an unsurpassed stylist and the strangest of cinema's poets. Underworld (1927) is the first of Sternberg's four films dominated by the unforgettably wild presence of George Bancroft.

The Docks of New York (1928) is a towering pictorial masterpiece, and the print we show should make any film lover's week or even life worthwhile. The Last Command (1928) is a perfect match between the ironies of Sternberg and the story itself: a general from old Russia is now a Hollywood extra.

In Sternberg's terms we might wonder which one - a man's life or its imitation - is the true parody? This retrospective will be completed by Thunderbolt (1929), Sternberg's first experiment with sound.

The Marlene Dietrich films Morocco (1930), Dishonored (1931), Shanghai Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934) and The Devil Is a Woman (1935) open the gates to a dream scape that might take place in China, Imperial Russia, North Africa, Austria or Spain with Dietrich as a spy, adventuress, singer, and Empress, which gives her the opportunity to cut the throats of her men.

These films represent the highest point, perverse and ruthless, of the mythology of the love goddess. But that’s not all. We'll show some rarities: Children of Divorce (1927), partly directed by Sternberg, and his vastly under appreciated An American Tragedy (1931).

And there will be two dossiers curated by Janet Bergstrom in collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with the participation of the director's son Nicholas von Sternberg and a vivid portrait of the artist himself interviewed by André S. Labarthe, the creator (with Janine Bazin) of the famous interview series, Cinéastes de notre temps, to which we dedicate a special homage."

UPDATE: I JUST learned too that The Sea Gull/A Woman of the Sea will be talked about at this event:

VENERDÌ 4 LUGLIO (July 4, 2008)
ore 14.45 - Cinema Lumière 1
Progetto Chaplin
CHAPLIN IN VISITA AL CENTRO SPERIMENTALE DI CINEMATOGRAFIA
D.: 10’ circa.
DOSSIER THE SEA GULL
Presentano Janet Bergstrom e Cecilia Cenciarelli

"At the crossroad of the Sternberg retrospective, we will dedicate a dossier to The Seagull/Woman of the Sea (1926), one of the most famous “lost films” of all time.

The film was shot by Sternberg and produced by Chaplin who did not like it and eventually refused to release it. It’s intriguing story will be traced with images and rare documents gathered from many sources."

For readers who was interested, here is a link to a brief video featuring images and the book about The Sea Gull.

And finally, for Charlie Chaplin fans an added event:
"While last year’s Chapliniana still echoes in our minds, this year we will launch an annual "Chaplin’s filiation" program with a series of films devoted to Monta Bell, Chaplin’s assistant on A Woman of Paris (1924) and a wonderful director in his own right, as our selection - Lady of the Night (1925), Pretty Ladies (1925), Upstage (1926) - proves beyond question." - Cinema Ritrovato 2008



If you are a fan of Josef von Sternberg, and can afford to get to Italy, it is certainly an event to see. Bologna is an enjoyable city to visit, and very easy to get around by walking. Learning some Italian before going does help.

UPDATE: We have been in contact from Italy about the festival and the special program about The Sea Gull.

Link to IL CINEMA RITROVATO festival site
Bergstrom presented a program on von Sternberg in Chicago recently.
Can't make it to Italy? Check Cinematheque Ontario for film showings.

(Josef von Sternberg was the director and creator of The Sea Gull 'Woman of the Sea", produced by Charles Chaplin. Leading Ladies publishing released the first book about the film by author Linda Wada on January 13, 2008. You can learn more at ednapurviance.com. And for my regular Edna readers, who have asked, I just learned about this event April 11. The Sea Gull presentation, I actually didn't learn about until April 12. But it sounds like a great event for Josef von Sternberg fans to attend.)

June 9, 2008 - Leading Ladies has shipped some copies of The Sea Gull for this event. We also have been in contact with the festival, as a dossier is planned for The Sea Gull during the week long event.

July 2008 - Special thanks to festival >

Play 'Laurel and Charlie' on tour in Yorkshire

April 16 - May 2, 2008 - England - The Badapple Theatre company will be touring Kate Bramley new play 'Laurel and Charlie' in Yorkshire, England area April 16th into May 4th. It is about Charlie Chaplin's and Stan Laurel's early days with Karno. It mentions opening in a boardinghouse in 1910. You can learn more about the play, at this link. If I was lucky enough to be in the area, I certainly look it up.
_______________________

A few Karno notes: By 1910, Chaplin had a few years with Fred Karno, as Charlie started working for him in 1908. In September of 1910, Chaplin left with the Karno company to America. The Karno company opened in New York City, before being picked up by the America tour group, Sullivan and Considine. Stan Laurel also traveled with Chaplin and they roomed together to save money.

The Karno Tour played with Sullivan and Considine for five different America tours between January 1911- November 1913. The company only returned to England once in 1912, during this three-year journey.

Chaplin signed with the Keystone Film Company in September 1913 during his tour stop in Portland, Oregon, but finished his tour with Karno to Kansas City, in November of that same year.

Charlie Chaplin boarded a train to Los Angeles, while the rest of the company headed back to England. Chaplin wouldn't return to London until 1921, and he returned as one of the most famous actors in the world.

(I have research the Karno tour in America. Here is a link to an article featuring the Karno tour.)

Tour of Chaplin's old Walworth Road, today

April 10, 2008 - London, England - Special thanks to Jack, for sending us this news story of a tour of Charlie Chaplin's home area of Walworth Road, in London, with a mention of Chaplin and East Lane. Tour given by Gary Crowley. LINK>

PS - I have been seeing some odd links to this site on the web, so to track down the problem, I have been removing images off the post, and I removed the video here. So if you see images disappearing, that is why. (Also removed the video link bar below.)

Stolen Moments Slapsticon 2008

April 8, 2008 - Donna Hill is back with her latest podcast!

Donna chats with founders Rob Farr and Richard Roberts of:
Slapsticon!

Bits...

I will instead call this post Bits...

April 10, 2008 - The documentary "Who is Norman Lloyd?" is being screened in Florida this week. Here is an article about it and a short interview with Lloyd talking about Charlie Chaplin. more>
____________

An interesting post I found on the web, about an event held in Chicago recently featuring the "Project Sternberg" and this item mentioning as part of the presentation The Sea Gull/A Woman of the Sea. more>

Film Historian, Vittorio Martinelli died in Bologna

We have learned film historian, Vittorio Martinelli, died in Bologna, Italy, last night.

From Cineteca di Bologna, April 8, 2008:
"His death leaves a huge void among all those who knew him as both a brilliant man and historian. His unconventional way of looking at cinema, his ability to discover archive rarities, his astounding knowledge of the Seventh Art made him a world-wide famous and acclaimed historian."

Vittorio Martinelli
(Naples, 1926 – Bologna, 2008)

• Film historian, co-author with Aldo Bernardini of the 21-volume filmography on Italian silent cinema.

Alone or in collaboration with others, he wrote a wealth of monographs dedicated to directors (Genina, Gallone, Guazzoni,
Roberti) and actresses (Bertini, Menichelli, Borelli, Jacobini, Leda Gys) including the one “Silent Divas”, as well as countless essays and articles on specialised cinema reviews.

• He also wrote and compiled filmographic studies on American cinema (L’eterna invasione), as well as German (Da Caligari a Lola-Lola), French (Cuor d’oro e muscoli d’acciaio), Austrian (Lucy Doraine alla conquista dell’Italia) and English (Una frequentazione rarefatta).

• His latest work with Cineteca di Bologna (Za la mort, 2007) is a portrayal of Emilio Ghione.

• For the Lumière Project Martinelli has explored and researched European, South American, Mexican and Russian Film Archives, contributing to the rediscovery of hundreds of forgotten films allowing their countries of origin to reclaim them as part of their cultural heritage.

"Il Cinema Ritrovato, the whole community of film archivists and historians and Cineteca di Bologna gather around his family and friends, well aware that his lesson will continued to be spread and be fruitful for a very long time." - Cineteca di Bologna

The new 'Great Dictator'

Amazon - The Great Dictator - by Darren Laws
See this link for the full article:
"Amazon is turning its attention to publishers who sell their books cheaper on their own sites than at Amazon. An example of this is if a book is sold on Amazon for £20 and £10 on my website, then Amazon will only return £5 for a sale on their site after they take their 50% mark up. I can't help but think though that in both cases it is the small publisher that will feel the brunt of Amazon's bullying. It seems that Amazon has woken up to the fact that it is the dominant retailer and holds an extraordinary position of power on the Internet. It is now beginning to flex its muscles and see how far it can go in intimidating the book world." - Darren Laws, Book Trade

More news items and updates

April 10, 2008 - Have your book printed at the store? Lightning Source and On Demand Books have "signed a strategic alliance to explore developments in in-store on-demand book printing”. more>

April 7, 2008 - Book Trade reports how Amazon is starting to turn the tables on anyone who publishes, by controlling the price so Amazon is the only company who can sell at a discount. This is after their current move to become the printer for all print-on-demand books sold on their website by their Amazon company BookSurge, or loose Amazon's 'buy now' button.


Update April 8, 2008 - Publishers Weekly - Authors Guild Looking at Antitrust Issue of Amazon's POD Plan

The Authors Guild says: "Once Amazon owns the supply chain, it has effective control of much of the "long tail" of publishing -- the enormous number of titles that sell in low volumes but which, in aggregate, make a lot of money for the aggregator. Since Amazon has a firm grip on the retailing of these books (it's uneconomic for physical book stores to stock many of these titles)..."

April 8, 2008 - Book Trade - UK's Leading Writers Website Boycotts Amazon
"It is also a red-flag to the publishing industry in terms of how Amazon may use their influence on books from mainstream commercial publishing houses in the future."

April 7, 2008 - Article from Mark Jeffery on his publishing experience and the current situation with Amazon

Charlton Heston died, age 84

Report from the BBC - more> Also a link to an ICON Radio program featuring Heaton. Program has a download link to the program. more>

April 10, 2008 - This just in... DCR will have a live tribute to Charlton Heaton, April 10th, 10:30pm Eastern Time. You can also listen to the program later, if you can't listen to the live program.

Happy Birthday Lita!

"I Love Birthdays!" - Lita Hill said, April 3, 2005, on her birthday

Today would have been Lita's 75th birthday. So to celebrate, I will share the comments Lita would have loved to have read during the past couple of months about The Sea Gull.

"I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IF WE GET ANY REVIEWS TO PRINT!!!" - Lita Hill, October 20, 2007

"Here are some of the fan comments, Lita, I know you would have enjoyed reading. Happy Birthday!!!"

"Received "The Sea Gull" book this afternoon. What an outstanding treasure trove of outstanding pictures and research. Thank goodness Edna fans (and Edna herself) have someone like you to create such a wonderful book!!" - MM

"Almost Speechless! ...the book is PHENOMENAL! ... is even
better than I imagined! I am so impressed. This is such a great contribution to Chaplin/Edna scholarship, and I applaud your hard work and dedication." - PC

"...it blew me away, it's amazing, better than I could have imagined." - GCE

"I have received The Sea Gull, and what a wonderful work it is! It is a very beautiful and important book and I enjoy it immensely." - IG

"The book is beautiful!" - DH

"Reading it was a real pleasure. It's very well conceived, with images illustrating perfectly the story. The progression towards the shooting of the film is very clear for every star involved (Edna, Charlie, Von Sternberg...). It's one of the most enjoyable books I've read about Chaplin. One point strucks me when seeing the pictures of Edna in A Woman of the Sea: She's so fresh and beautiful in these pictures!" - DD

"I received my book!!!!! It is wonderful. I enjoy to see pictures of Edna I never seen before." - FB

"I think it looks smashing. The photos are so interesting, Ellie had a treasure of images for sure. Really you guys did a wonderful job and Lita was so pleased. What you left for her certainly helped her to pass from this world knowing Edna's story would go on forever." - BT

"So many people who know anything about Charlie, let alone Edna, have been intrigued by the fate of The Sea Gull but there has never been anything we could do about it. Now (rather like a similar book that was done on Greed, another 'lost' film, though a truncated version survives), we have the next best thing - your book. I do congratulate you and your husband, as it is a beautifully produced book that will sit proudly on anyone's shelf." - PJ

"Great book!" - BK

"How beautiful, great book this is! Your matchless ultimate work help us to make unknown facts clear about the lost film and Edna." - SO

"I can't tell you how exquisite the Sea Gull book is!!! We were looking through it last night, ooohing and aaahing. The layout, the photos, the writing, the paper, the printing--everything is just perfect." - MM

"Beautiful book!" - JM

"The book arrived today, and it is absolutely fascinating. This is an important book-Leading Ladies should be very proud of themselves." - JW

"You have done a really magnificent job! The book is beautiful and the photos are so crisp & clear. I have read almost all of it already and am sure I will be re-looking and re-reading for some time to come - at least until the bio comes out!" - MC

"Beautiful book. Thanks so much. I know how much hard work went into it. Most Chaplin students who read just Robinson and the CC Autobiography picture her as just pining away after becoming inactive at the studio. What you have discovered about her later life, adventures, and marriage are a revelation." - JJ

"The book arrived - and it's lovely. I had it delivered to work where we know a little about publishing. My colleagues and I all agreed that you did a marvelous job, not only with the copy and design, but with choosing a printer." - AK

"It looks great!" - DF

"I received the book today, very well packaged, and have just been through it. It is really wonderful to be able to see the photos, along with your reconstruction of the story. The book is very nicely designed overall, and your love of Edna shines through it all. Thanks very much for this contribution." - JB

"You did a magnificent job piecing the story together base on those amazing photos. I can't believe there isn't a copy of that film that was originally printed from the negative, before Chaplin burned it. I can't understand anyone, even Chaplin, burning a film without one copy preserved somewhere." - RS

"I have been reading the seagull book, it is beautifully produced. The photos are wonderful. What a terrific loss! the movie, that is. I hope you are greatly appreciated for bringing it to the attention of our generation." - JMc

"Your book arrived! Thank you so much for all your effort which you have put in it. It's very much interesting to read and a little treasure with all those rare to find pictures. Also, I love very much the layout." - RM

"My wife was thrilled and I must say, the book is beautifully done. You can be very proud of this outstanding and long-overdue achievement!" - KB

"We can hardly wait for your next book. I started The Sea Gull and couldn't put it down. We both feel it is outstanding. It was like we were right there. Too bad the film was lost. We are so glad we have the book in our possession. What a marvel. Thanks again. I sure hope you are writing more." - NP

"...the book arrived this past weekend and I am enjoying it very much!"- HM

"...that cover sure does it for me, wow! Thanks again for all your dedication... It feels just like discovering a Chaplin short I've never seen before... It's that kind of feeling." - LS

"The book turned up all safe and just gorgeous... I spent the night pouring through it and taking in the beautiful images. You must be really satisfied with the way it turned out - the quality is divine." - GT

"The book arrived yesterday. From what I've looked at so far, it is amazing! The cast photo from "In the Park" alone is worth the price! Congratulations on a remarkable achievement." - MV

"It is a beautiful book. The photos are so very nicely reproduced. ...a shame it can't be introduced to a wider market." - DT

"It looks very interesting... It is a treasure." - LM

"It's beautifully produced, the page quality and picture clarity are exceptionally good, the 8X10 (the front cover still) of Edna was a fine choice, and nicely protected. All of your careful personal touches - the handwritten card, especially - were thoughtful, and appreciated. The scholarship in it also was important, just the basic outline you provided in it on Edna's personal history alone was more than most of us have been able to learn about her before this." - HM

Lita - April 3, 1933- January 21, 2008
The Sea Gull "A Woman of the Sea" (first book about the lost Charlie Chaplin Production, directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Edna Purviance.) - Leading Ladies publication, release January 2008. Learn more at ednapurviance.com.

The Rainbow Orchid to be published with Egmont

It maybe April Fools' Day, but it is no April Fool for UK writer and artist, Garen Ewing, as his long awaited book The Rainbow Orchid is going to be published by Egmont UK. Egmont UK is the No. 1 publisher of children's character books in the United Kingdom.

Garen had his first ideas for The Rainbow Orchid in late 1990s, but started creating The Rainbow Orchid book in 2002. I had the pleasure of watching his project grow over the years, and very thrilled to read that all his hard work has resulted in a dream finally coming true.

Mr. Ewing reports it will be produced in three volumes, with part one printed in 2009. You can read more at this official press release at booktrade.info. We send our hearty congratulations to Garen Ewing and his project The Rainbow Orchid! Exciting news, indeed!

Update: August 19, 2008 - Garen's silent film star, Lily Lawrence, and company, are having fun promoting the coming books Rainbow Orchid (release 2009). Link to scene>

UPDATE April 1, 2009: The Rainbow Orchid by Garen Ewing is schedule for release on August 4, 2009. more>

UPDATE AUG. 2, 2009: The Rainbow Orchid is now available at many popular UK bookshops, as will as online shops (including Amazon UK & USA) and at Garen's Rainbow Orchid Shop (which includes signed books, RO T-shirts and special photos)