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May 2008 ~ Issue two of BooksMonthly ~ Return to the Cover page

Great Indiana Jones Competition! Click here for details...

 

Indiana Jones ~ the new books (many of the books shown in this article are embargoed until May 22nd, the release date of the fourth Indiana Jones film. I'm allowed to show you the covers, and the publishers' blurbs, but that's it. Proper reviews of all these titles will appear in the June issue of Books Monthly)

It may have escaped your notice, but there's a new Indiana Jones film out this month... And everyone is in on it. A whole stack of fabulous new books are published this month, including the five you can win in this month's competition - the biggest competition ever run in this magazine (and its predecessor, Gateway Monthly). There have been documentaries on Channel 4 (the search for the Ark of the Covenant) and Channel 5 (The real Indiana Jones), and it's a timely reminder that the first three films are among the very best ever made. You can get those original three films and a bonus DVD in a boxed set, though the low price it's been available for during the past few years will probably take a hike upwards when the new film comes out at the end of this month. You can now also get the adventures of Young Indiana Jones, starring Sean Patrick Flannery - and a most excellent series it is too.

Over the years there have been numerous books and comics, but of course this release has inspired a whole load more, and there's a round-up of some of them in this article. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg insist that Jones is totally fictional, but Indy aficionados anxious to dig a little deeper have identified similarities between Jones and the palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. It's tempting to believe Lucas and Spielberg - after all, Edgar Rice Burroughs had no one on which to base Tarzan of the Apes; true, he had read Kipling's Jungle Stories, but the character of Mowgli and Tarzan are utterly different, and Tarzan remains one of the most original characters ever created. The attraction of Indiana Jones, like Tarzan, is that he is not a superhero, but an ordinary human being drawn into a series of adventures, an educated man (again like Tarzan - eventually), a man who appreciates women (cf Tarzan's Jane, La of Opar etc.) and fascinated by ancient civilisations. I'm not going to try to draw any parallels other than those I've just mentioned, between Tarzan and Indiana Jones - they're chalk and cheese, and the exercise is pointless.

They do, however, have this in common - they depend on the pulp fiction genre for their appeal. It's almost as if the character of Indiana Jones was simply waiting to be invented. Both Lucas and Spielberg describe their love of Saturday morning cinema as the inspiration for Jones' creation, and although Indiana Jones cannot be held responsible for single-handedly reviving the pulp-fiction-based adventure film, his contribution is enormous. The inspirational theme music from John Williams is unique and iconic, as is Harrison Ford - he was born to play Indiana Jones.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones

(Published by Bantam, May 5, 2008, £7.99

Published to coincide with the worldwide release in May of the NEW Indiana Jones film

– Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

With his battered leather jacket, his trademark Fedora and his bullwhip, Indiana Jones has gone in search of adventure, confronted danger and unearthed an untold wealth of ancient treasures... In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the fearless archaeologist journeys from Nepal to Cairo to the Mediterranean , dodging poisons, traps and snakes, battling rivals old and new – in pursuit of an ancient artifact that holds the key to dazzling, invincible power. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom finds our intrepid hero in a remote village in India, where a mysterious shaman tells him that his arrival has been foreseen – and that he must retrieve a stolen mystical stone. And finally, Indy faces the most challenging and personal endeavour of his life: to rescue his estranged father, the eminent professor Dr. Henry Jones, from a Nazi’s lair, and recover the legendary Holy Grail. Yet Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade doesn’t mean the adventure is over. . . It's like watching the films all over again! Three brilliant authors present the novelisations of the original Indy trilogy - there's some added storyline, but the main thing is they're all faithful to the films and reading the stories is like meeting up with an old friend. You could be forgiven for forgetting just how good the films are - this book will serve as a timely reminder - it's un-put-down-able. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

Dr Henry "Indiana" Jones: Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

From the scorching sands of Cairo to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, this personal journal of Dr Henry 'Indiana' Jones, Jr chronicles every thrilling adventure, from the original Raiders of the Lost Ark to the eagerly anticipated fourth feature film. Filled with sketches, notes and jottings in the great man's own hand, and accompanied by rare archive photos and much material never published before, the journal records the artefacts and discoveries, the folklore and the characters -- not to mention the narrow escapes and heroic escapades -- encountered on each of his globetrotting travels. For Indiana Jones fans old and new who wish to recapture the excitement of these legendary films in book form, The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones provides a uniquely vivid inside view of the swashbuckling world of cinema's most popular adventurer.

 

 

James Rollins: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

JAMES ROLLINS: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL ~ Directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, the much-loved adventurer Indiana Jones returns to our screens for a new instalment of one of Hollywood's most successful film series. Written by "New York Times" bestselling author James Rollins, this novelisation of the movie captures the heart-stopping excitement and nail-biting tension of Indy's latest rollercoaster escapade. Set in 1957, the film centres around mysterious crystal skulls, and pits Indiana Jones against agents of the Soviet Union. Containing all the trademark action, adventure, mythology and humour that have made the movie series such a phenomenal success, the novelisation of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is a must for Indy fans everywhere.

 

 

The Indiana Jones Handbook (Quirk Books)

For every fan who’s dreamed of cracking a bullwhip, rescuing lost treasures, and evading giant runaway boulders, The Indiana Jones Handbook offers all the tips and tricks of the adventurer’s trade. Complete with step-by-step instructions, helpful diagrams, and full-color photography from the Indiana Jones films, readers will learn:

How to ride an elephant; How to identify booby traps; How to fend off a gang of swordsmen; How to blend into foreign cultures; How to avoid the wrath of God

And much, much more. Arriving just in time for the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, this action-packed handbook is essential reading for fans of all ages.
DENISE KIERNAN and JOSEPH D’AGNESE are the authors of 24: The Official CTU Operations Manual (Quirk, 2007). They live in North Carolina. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide (Dorling Kindersley)

Get up close and personal with movie legend Indiana Jones, the world's favourite whip-wielding archaeologist! Join Harrison Ford as rogue Indiana Jones on a death defying adventure in this guide to all four of his swashbuckling movies. Get under the cover and meet the man under the fedora; explore his journey from childhood to adulthood and come face-to-face with his family, friends and deadly foes. Take an in-depth look at all Indy's movies: from "The Temple of Doom" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to "The Last Crusade" and the much anticipated fourth film 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Go on your own intrepid adventure: from the Shakara Stones to the Arc of the Covenant, and explore favourite locations and ancient ruins with the pull out maps. Then read extracts from Indiana's pri vate journal. Mind-blowing pictures and behind-the-scenes shots will make you feel like you're there. It's a thrill a minute, larger-than-life journey into Indiana's world! An utterly amazing book, with unbelievable cutaway illustrations of Pankot Palace, the temple at the beginning of RAIDERS, and the last resting place of the Holy Grail. Packed with essential and well-researched information about Indy, including his Young Indiana Jones chronicles, and his latest 1950s adventure, this is an absolute must for all Indy fans. What's more, you can win one of five copies in my fantastic Indiana Jones competition, just click on the link at the top of the page or follow the link in the menu on the front cover. Available from the Gateway Amazon store!

J W Rinzler, Laurent Bouzereau: The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films ~  When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg came together to create a no-holds-barred action-adventure movie, a new hero was born – Indiana Jones. The rest is record-breaking box-office history. Now comes an all-new Indiana Jones film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The Complete Making of Indiana Jones offers you a unique opportunity to go on location for an up-close, all-access tour of the year’s most eagerly anticipated blockbuster – as well as the opportunity to revisit the first three classics. Inside you’ll find: - Exclusive on-set interviews with the entire cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the CrystalSkull, including Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and John Hurt, as well as director Steven Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp. - Hundreds of full-colour images – from storyboards, concept paintings and set-design schematics to still photos from ALL FOUR films, with candid action shots of the productions in progress. An in-depth chronicle of the making of the first three Indiana Jones movies, including transcripts of the original story meetings, cast and crew anecdotes, production photos and information on scenes that were cut from the final films. - Never-before-seen artwork and archival gems from the Lucasfilm Archives. A definitive making-of opus, The Complete Making of Indiana Jones is as essential to fans as his trusty bullwhip is to Indy!

 

 

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