At the forefront of television's Golden Age in the 1950s, Allen reigned for decades as a top TV comedian. However, his serious side has always been evident in his 54 books—from his autobiographical Mark It and Strike It
(1960) to Ripoff:...
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Steve Allen, Author Prometheus Books $30 (326p) ISBN 978-0-87975-904-9
Allen, a TV personality, musician and writer ( Meeting of Minds ), here collects his observations, organized alphabetically, on topics ranging from abortion to world government. Brought up as a Roman Catholic, Allen, who was born in 1921, continues...
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Steve Allen, Author Prometheus Books $34 (348p) ISBN 978-1-57392-002-5
This short fiction collection from comedian and prolific author Allen (see Forecasts, July 17, for a review of his mystery Murder on the Atlantic) is an uneven performance. Settings and subjects range from a few reworked biblical stories to the N.Y.C
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Steve Allen, Author Dembner Books $9.94 (202p) ISBN 978-0-942637-22-9
These 23 stories by the versatile comedian, songwriter and author include some interesting twists, but most fail to rise above the ordinary. Even his attempts to show the underside of the TV and film milieu he knows so well fall flat. ``One Reason...
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Steve Allen, Author Zebra $4.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-8217-4452-9
TV personality Allen's 37th book is a tricky, charming and literate whodunit about a series of deaths surrounding the revival of a TV game show. (Jan.)
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Steve Allen, Author Zebra $19.95 (0p) ISBN 978-0-8217-4647-9
The maiden voyage of ``the most expensive ocean liner ever built'' provides the glitzy backdrop for Allen's (Murder in Vegas) latest wisecracking whodunit featuring himself and his wife, Jayne Meadows. Also aboard are a walk-on cast of droppable...
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Steve Allen, Author Kensington Publishing Corporation $21 (288p) ISBN 978-1-57566-241-1
Allen reins in the rampant self-absorbtion that ruined Wake Up to Murder (1996) but still comes up with a less than riveting effort in his latest mystery starring his fictional self as sleuth. Called to the bedside of dying octogenarian comedian...
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Steve Allen, Author Kensington Publishing Corporation $22 (320p) ISBN 978-1-57566-375-3
In addition to his talents as a writer, talk-show host and composer, Allen, as we've learned from previous entries in this seriocomic series (Die Laughing, 1997, etc.), is no mean sleuth. This time, Allen, who narrates, and his (real-life) wife,...
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Steve Allen, Author Barricade Books $19.95 (308p) ISBN 978-0-942637-55-7
Page after page of tired jokes and boasting weaken the nostalgic appeal of this memoir about radio and TV in their palmy days by an author who has spent 50 years in broadcasting. ``Steverino'' started his career in radio during the early 1940s and...
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Steve Allen, Author, S. Allen, Author Zebra $20 (244p) ISBN 978-0-8217-4115-3
In his 37th book, Allen, the greatest show-biz autodidact since Artie Shaw and arguably TV's only Renaissance man, has crafted a tricky, well-made whodunit. His protagonist, Steve Allen, narrates. Steve and his wife Jayne Meadows, are asked to be...
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Steve Allen, Author, Norman Cousins, Designed by Prometheus Books $25.95 (359p) ISBN 978-0-87975-539-3
Polymath Allen brings his considerable talents to bear on a phenomenon that is increasingly the concern of critics of contemporary Americans--the ``unprecedented amount of mental incapacitation'' in our society. Coining the word ``dumbth'' to...
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Steve Allen, Author, Norman Cousins, Designed by Prometheus Books $17.95 (359p) ISBN 978-0-87975-650-5
Allen coins the word ``dumbth'' to describe contemporary Americans' common ignorance in significant categories of knowledge, cites examples of this phenomenon and recommends the teaching of reasoning in early school years. ``Tempering missionary...
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Mary Kruger, Author, Steve Allen, Author, Kensington, Producer Kensington Publishing Corporation $18.95 (264p) ISBN 978-1-57566-109-4
This latest mystery from the noted performer is likely to bore even his die-hard fans. Allen is both author and hero of this slight tale, which requires continuous suspension of disbelief and considerable tolerance for celebrity name-dropping and...
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Steve Allen, Author William Morrow & Company $0 (240p) ISBN 978-0-688-06295-8
Less than 30% of Americans still smoke and many states, municipalities and corporations have promulgated regulations curbing the right to smoke in public and workplaces. Concentrating on the dangers of indoor air pollution to nonsmokers, (or passive
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