CRITICAL NOTICES for

JUDY GARLAND : THE DAY-BY-DAY CHRONICLE OF A LEGEND:

"Scott Schechter's book proves how hard she worked to overcome
obstacles" -- Susan King, LA TIMES

"Staggeringly thorough" -- PLAYBILL, National Edition

"If you love the legend that is Garland, run to get Scott Schechter's
new book, Judy Garland: The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend. This
is an impressive mass of minutia: a paean to Garland's professionalism
and talents. It is beautifully produced and sure to thrill Garland's
evergreen fans."—Liz Smith, NEW YORK POST

"Exhaustively researched (and lushly illustrated) history of the diva's
life"-- the ADVOCATE

"To read past biographies and old newspaper reports, one might wonder
how she ever got through even one song without collapsing, and yet the
evidence of long, hard work is there, as Scott Schechter's book
illustrates to a fault ... Garland was a tireless trouper of enormous
energy and determination (and believe it or not responsibility) from the
age of two, and often more than made up for absences due to emotional
and physical illness by sheer will, professionalism and talent ... (The
book) represents an incredible archival work by the author, and offers a
lot of fascinating nuggets along the way." -- FRONTIERS

"Everything (and we do mean everything) that you ever wanted to know
about Judy Garland can be found in Scott Schechter's extraordinary
Judy Garland : The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend. Perhaps the
most comprehensive ever published ... Rarely has a biographical text
been so thoroughly and extensively researched ... A stunning literary
monument. Anyone who loves Judy Garland will treasure this new classic."
-- NEW YORK RESIDENT

"This is one great coffee table book, chock-full of unseen photos. But
there is much more ... Here we connect all the dots by date. Fascinating
... This chronicle will sit on top of the book stack for a long time,
for it is so packed with minutiae that it pins down not only Garland,
but the life of a celebrity. The text painstakingly records the lifetime
career of an artist ... the book is both heavy and heady, packed with
details ... (the author) insinuates himself into the text only when it
might be necessary to clarify a point. This book cuts to the chase --
only the facts, ma'am ... Physically, this book is a delight. The photos
(personal and formal) are beautifully reproduced; the text is user
friendly; the index profuse. Book lovers, Garland fans or not, will
appreciate the publishing job." -- The BOTTOM LINE magazine

"Schechter's fascinating view of this legendary star and survivor is
gloriously illustrated with some 80 high quality photographs and
thoughtfully concluded with two indexes, one by song title and another
by subject matter. This is a volume definitely destined for coffee
tables." — STONEWALL NEWS NORTHWEST

"An unparalleled treasure trove of rare Garland material." — PM Magazine

"Schechter includes a generous sampling of reviews for films, albums and
live appearances, and dutifully notes current availability for fans.
...it is sure to have enormous appeal as a reference tome and have
multiple uses for trivia buffs. " — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"This book is a real collector's item. Schechter has gone out of his way
to shift public perception from what most people 'thought they knew
about her' to what they really should know about her. The magnitude of
his research is unprecedented." — SEATTLE GAY NEWS

"A must-have for the die-hards." -- GENRE magazine

"It is a strange and remarkable thing to hold in one's hands a document
that catalogs the virtually daily existence of someone's entire life,
from birth to death - especially when that someone happens to be Judy
Garland. Such a document now exists to delight fans of Garland,
Hollywood, and entertainment history: Scott Schechter's Judy Garland:
The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend. Schechter is a leading authority
and the man responsible for the many recent CD, DVD and video releases
of Garland's performances. At 448 pages, Schechter's book is a demagogic,
ambitious work, and at first glance appears overwhelming. But the end result
is an entirely fascinating and absorbing record of a woman who was, by her own
acknowledgment, born to perform. The author has done the amazing task of
assembling tidbits of information - film production and recording data,
dates, names and locations - in chronological fashion, organized by day,
year and decade. Interspersed throughout are still and candid
photographs (some reproduced full page) in black and white. The book
also includes several appendices listing tribute materials published
after Garland's 1969 death. A recommended music listening list and
bibliography are also included. I must confess, I am not a Judy Garland fan.
While I certainly enjoy her peerless work in The Wizard of Oz and in other
films such as Meet Me In St. Louis and Ziegfeld Girl, I never could relate to her
off-screen persona, such that there was never the "personal" connection
that many fans claim to experience. Probably the most important thing
that Schechter's book does for the reader is to demystify Judy Garland,
the human being. Reviewing Garland's life in a concrete, chronological
format enables one objectively to put into perspective the subtle and
overt influences that came to bear upon her intellectual, emotional and
physical being, such that Judy Garland's life makes sense, leaving one
with the understanding that it could not have played out any differently
than it did. Such a balanced appreciation will prove especially
invaluable to those who are just discovering Garland, or those who know
her only as Dorothy. Longtime admirers will relish the wealth of
meticulous detail and Schechter's editorial commentary and resources
references that follow select entries. Oz aficionados will, in
particular, enjoy the almost daily recounting of the Wizard of Oz film
shoot, in addition to Garland's remarks about the film, made in later
years." -- William Stillman, the BAUM BUGLE magazine

"Do you practice Judyism? If so, you'll need the latest scripture. This
authoritative text offers precious and obsessive information about the
things our blessed mother and savior Judy did, said or attended. A
lavishly illustrated, oversized Bible of a coffee-table book, it also
includes appendices upon appendices of sacred text -- everything to a
chronology of posthumous highlights. It may be preaching to the choir,
but it makes a joyful noise. Praise Judy." -- UNZIPPED Magazine

"Garland's career spanned vaudeville, film, radio and TV, so a chronicle
of her life is a chronicle of popular entertainment in the 20th century.
To say that Schechter worships Garland is an understatement, but his
account of her life consists primarily of objective facts, which gain
emotional force from the massive accumulation of triumphs and defeats
both big and small."— CHARLESTON POST AND COURIER

"For several years, Schechter has produced, written, consulted on and/or
spearheaded numerous J.G.-related media projects, including the CD Judy
at Carnegie Hall: 40th Anniversary Edition and the DVD releases of
Judy's 1963-64 CBS series. His new book is the capper .... Schechter's
research is as thorough as a Nobel scientist ... It's the most complete
retrospective yet published on a celebrity and, in this instance,
absolutely mesmerizing." -- Robert Osborne, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER,
host and anchor, Turner Classic Movies cable network

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CELEBRITY Endorsements:

“It’s easy to get lost in these pages .... What an extraordinary record
of a personal and professional life! Needless to say, it’s a must for
any Judy Garland devotee.” -- Leonard Maltin, author of Leonard Maltin’s
Movie and Video Guide

“There can never be enough written about the talent, the star, the
person, the eternal Judy Garland. Every morsel is a treasured feast.” --
Janet Leigh, actress and author of The Dream Factory

“I’m a big Judy fan -- for my money she’s one of the great performers of
our time.” -- Janis Ian, singer / songwriter

“There will never be another Judy Garland. She was one of a kind. When
Judy sang, she had the power to make you feel great sadness or great
happiness.” -- Ann Miller, stage and movie star

“No one knows more about Judy Garland than Scott Schechter. His book
captures all the magic of Judy and the love affair she had with her
audiences. It has an incredible ‘you-are-there’ feeling to it, as you
live through her life with her. A must-have for any Garland fan.” -- Joe
Franklin, television and radio talk show host

“Here is a complete and intensive day-by-day of Judy Garland’s life as
an entertainer. It should prove rewarding to anyone who recognizes that
Judy was the greatest performer of the twentieth century.” -- Mort
Lindsey, Garland’s longtime musical director, arranger, and conductor

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