Peter Kobel has worked as an editor at Entertainment Weekly, Saveur, ARTnews, and Premiere, and has written for the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and many others. The author of the critically acclaimed Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture, he now writes and microblogs about environmental and conservation issues. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
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Reviews
"An unsettling but engaging portrait of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde figure ... with a number of odd twists and turns."-Daily Hampshire Gazette"BJ had a profound, lasting influence. ... There are rich details [here] about his academic life at Yale, Duke, and NYU. ... The story of how he moved through life is well-traced by Kobel. ... The book is a good read. ... The picture of BJ in his NYU office on page 75 is worth the price of the book. ... An interesting book about one of the real characters in biological anthropology."-PaleoAnthropology"A well-researched, clearly written biography of a strange character."-Kirkus Reviews"A vivid tale ... Kobel unearths a complex, contradictory man who lied to reach the heights of the Ivory Tower before being ousted by feds who discovered his illegal on-campus drug manufacturing operation. ... Kobel expertly wraps up this bizarre true crime tale."-Publishers WeeklyCritical acclaim for Silent Movies:"Spectacular." -New York Times "This isn't a coffee table book, though any coffee table would be lucky to be graced by it. The excellent text manages the trick of being exhaustive without being exhausting, while the photos-and stills, and posters, and lobby cards-are enchanting."-Wall Street Journal "The definitive visual history of silent film."-New York Daily News "A handsomely designed and illustrated pictorial history of the voiceless cinema."-Los Angeles Times "If you ever wondered why film buffs get weak in the knees about the movies made before talkies, this book can help you understand. . . . It is beautifully designed with a dazzling array of movie stills, posters and promo material drawn from the Library of Congress' memorabilia collection."-San Francisco Chronicle"A ravishing, oversize, million-pound study of the silent movie era."-Washington Post Express "Lovingly detailed . . . An essential addition to any film or design lover's library." -Encore magazine