You can now visit the website for McFarland & Company to see information just posted regarding the new book on I Spy. Follow this link:
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?isbn=0-7864-2750-7
You can read the publisher's discription of the book, then click on "Table of Contents" to see the new info, a listing of all the chapters/subjects and the pages devoted to each (with index starting on 429, to bring the book in at around 440 pages).
This latest add on their website is one small step for man, one giant leap for I Spyers. McFarland never posts this info until everything has been finalized on their end and they are ready to publish. The book begins printing on February 7th, and the promotion/marketing department is preparing to get advance copies out for review. Copies could show up in your mail boxes and book stores in mid to late February, but March is a safer bet. amazon.com is now listing the book as a mid to late March ship with deliveries the first week of April. I expect it will happen a little bit sooner, but, when purchasing through services such as amazon, a buyer has to wait for a book to be shipped twice, first from the publisher to the book seller, and then, again, from the seller to the customer.
Happy reading, when you finally get it. Best to all, Marc Cushman

Thank you, as always , Marc for the latest info.
Kel always did look his sexiest in the Spring....

Well, I just stumbled upon this forum last week when looking for info on the book, which I preordered at the Chiller Convention in October (where I met and got Mr. Culp's autograph), but had to sign up today because my book arrived in the mail today!!!!!! No joke, I wasn't expecting it, and it was a helluva nice surprise...no kidding -- each episode has credits, plot summary, an author's assessment, "the story behind the story," Culp and Cosby on set rewrite (where they discuss ad-libs), a detailed look at Cast and Crew, and for certain episodes the original nielsen ratings! Culp's excellent foreword discusses how people tried to create a "bizarre primitive" wedge between the two stars and failed. I obviously haven't read much more as I received the book literally 20 minutes ago, but I figure whatever info they're giving the author of the book, it doesn't necessarily match up with what's going on -- perhaps they did an early run, and are fulfilling some of the preorders, and are now going to do a second run? Anyway, it's a huge book, and looks like it will more than fulfill every I SPY fan's wish! But I officially recieved the book January 30th, I'll leave it to others to figure out why!

Dear Jim,

The "Wonderfulness" of your news about your I SPY Book arriving!!

Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know!!

Enjoy!!

We are so glad you posted and hope you will write more about the book as you go through it. I am sure we are going to have some great discussions about it!!






Most sincerely,
Tatia

....

Well, they couldn't have only printed one copy, so hopefully some of you will get the book this week also(?)

Indeed, I skipped ahead to read stuff that mostly has me nashing my teeth -- how close they were to a fourth season (they had already scouted England, Australia, Thailand) but a combination of factors led to the cancellation (I don't want to give up too much of the book, so you can find out for yourselves).

It also goes into some detail about the near-miss theatrical I SPY film they were discussing in late 89...sigh...

but, really, it's actually kinda depressing! I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the fellas traipsing around England and the great barrier reef.

But the book really seems excellent, although obviously when it comes to opinions, we and the authors may not always agree -- but that's where the fun comes in. There's one episode they think is a dog that I quite like, although their reasons for not liking it are reasonable enough. But I'm supposed to be teaching a class starting in an hour -- I might have to cancel!

Jimmy,

Thanks for the advance word on the book arriving and your early possitive review. We, supposedly on the inside, we're under the impression that the book was still weeks away.
I passed your first posting along to Hilly Elkins and Robert Culp. Your praise of Mr. Culp's "forward" will be read by Kelly Robinson himself later today. Marc Cushman.

Well, I think I can safely say that everyone who could be pleased WILL be pleased, as the book discusses in-depth all sorts of things I never knew before (how the choice of editor affected the show, particularly the final episodes in season three) and there are several choice Culp and Cosby quotes throughout the book (I believe Culp was interviewed directly for the book)...I'm not trying to be coy, but I figure you guys don't want everything spelled out for you -- let the book reveal itself to you!

If anyone here was sitting on the fence (which I doubt, but...), I do think the book can be safely recommended to any I SPY or classic television fan. McFarland books CAN sometimes be a little pricey and overreliant on dry episode guides, but if you had that fear, don't; there is a lot of "meat" to the book, including some very nice stills, advertisements, frame grabs, etc.

Thanks for sending on my praise to Mr. Culp -- although as an English professor/writer I am embarrassed to see how I wrote that at the convention "I met and got Mr. Culp's autograph" -- makes it sound like I met the autograph! Oh, well, regardless, the book itself only begins with the foreward, and I eagerly await ignorning American Idol tonight and reading it cover-to-cover!

One off-topic tidbit I can offer to anyone interested; Culp's 70s film INSIDE OUT (which the authors correctly consider his most Kelly-Robinson-like feature role), where he co-stars with Telly Savalas, is now available in a German import widescreen-anamorphic DVD. If you don't have a multi-system player or TV, you can't watch it in America, but if you do, it was released by Warner Germany. I just ordered a copy myself, I don't know if you're allowed to put website links on this page, so I'll hold off, but I'll give the website where I ordered it if I get the O.K. It's a legitimate and trustworthy dealer and I've ordered from them multiple times, so....

Now back to the book...

Jim

Home from the bunsen burners not only was I greeted by the lovely Consuela, but there was also a package. Inside: THE BOOK!!!
I am positively shaking, I can't believe it. So much for organizing my taxes, something else will take top priority.
Thank you Mr. Cushman, et al.
To all who have been so anxiously waiting: IT HAS ARRIVED.

Alright! Thanks so much for the news Jim and I daresay all of us fans here are awaiting your excellent review after you have a chance to totally absorb "The Book."

It figures- that Herbie not only has the beautiful Consuela, but also The Book. I am so jealous. Waiting for you review too, Herbie.
Enjoy! Enjoy!

I wrote in my last post that Culp was interviewed directly for this book...tis true, but tis also true that Mr. Cosby was as well. The section I was reading had several quotes from a Playboy interview Cosby did in 69, but in several other parts a more recent (05) interview with the authors shows up, as well as several other sources...

In a bit of cosmic irony yesterday, just after I saw Jim K’s post that he had received the I Spy book, I got an email from Amazon requesting my OK to delay shipment until 11 April. I’ve learned not to let stuff like this bother me, because I’m fairly sure it isn’t personal. So I was wondering where Jim K. and Herbie obtained their books. Did you guys order direct from McFarland? I called my neighborhood Barnes & Noble yesterday, just on the chance that they had it in, but they had no copies, with none residing in any of their warehouses. I know Amazon is pretty conservative about estimating delivery times, so I doubt if I’ll have to wait until April.

Jimmy

I ordered mine from a Mcfarland rep at the Chiller Convention last October (they had a table where they were selling various Mcfarland books)....I would assume ordering it direct from the publisher would be the quickest way, as it definitely isn't out to the bookstores yet...whether any orders taken now will result in books immediately shipped is the question -- it may only be preorders from last year that are sneaking out...

Prompted by THE FORUM, I ordered mine online from McFarland.
And at first reading, it is everything we want it to be.

To clear up the mystery: McFarland now tells me they are publishing the book in April/May! Originally it was to come out in December of '06, but was delayed due to some corrections needed for the artwork, and the publisher seems to like the book too much to dump it out during a slow book selling season, which is post Christmas until very early Spring. The book run that happened last week was for promotion purposes, for review sites and magazines, but also to honor the advance orders they had taken from individuals who were promised and expecting the book to arrive by Christmas. So, even though it is not yet officially out, copies are being mailed. Sadly, anyone who bought it through amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles or Borders, etc., may still have a bit of a wait. Some copies may leak out, but, chances are, it could take until late April or early May. To get a copy now, I would syuggest ordering directly from the publisher at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?isbn=0-7864-2750-7 . You can then always cancel the copy you ordered through the other book sellers. You haven't been billed for that yet, since they usually don't charge your credit card until they are ready to ship. The person I talked to at McFarland today said they will ship books to anyone who buys direct, as long as they don't run out. A larger run of books will be printed prior to the April/May release. Order tonight, you may have it within a week. Marc Cushman.

Thanks for the heads-up, Marc. I cancelled my Amazon order and placed one directly with McFarland instead; keep your little spy fingers crossed for me.

Regards—

Okay, I have ordered from McFarland as well, so I'll keep my old I Spy fingers crossed for both of us, Bulwer-Lytton.

I am getting excited already- maybe "The Book" is coming at long last.

With all of the excitement about The Book, I forgot to say hello and Welcome to the Forum, Jim.

I hope you have a chance, in between reading said Book, to check through the back pages of this forum. I certainly did when i joined and found lots of fascinating entires. Tatia has actually gone on many junkets and photographed actual scenery from the "I Spy" series days. So many are remarkably the same. I especially enjoyed reading about several members here meeting Robert Culp at one of those autograph shows.