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Spy: The Funny Years | 
 enlarge | Authors: Graydon Carter, George Kalogerakis, Kurt Andersen
Publisher: Miramax
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $7.95
You Save: $32.00 (80%)
New (33) Used (26) from $6.85
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 107144
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 10.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1401352391
Dewey Decimal Number: 818.5402
EAN: 9781401352394
ASIN: 1401352391
Publication Date: October 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New
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Product Description
Just in time for the 20th anniversary of Spys creation comes the definitive anthology, inside story, and scrapbook. Spy: The Funny Years will remind the magazines million readers why they loved and depended on Spy and bring to a new generation the jewels of its reporting and writing, photography, illustration, design, and world-class mischief-making. It will demonstrate Spys singular niche in American magazine and cultural history. But it is also intended to be enjoyed on its own: one beautiful volume containing Spys funniest and most creative work, along with the ultimate insiders account of how it all came to be. All the best is here: Separated at Birth; Naked City; The Fine Print; Logrolling in Our Time; the Blurb-o-Mat; those hysterical (and now ubiquitous) charts; the inside stories on the New York Times and Hollywood by J.J. Hunsecker and Celia Brady; the covers; investigative features; and the hilarious stories on pretty much everyone who was anyone during the late 80s and early 90s. Not to mention the often grisly but always entertaining regular cast of characters from Spys pages -- the churlish dwarf billionaires; beaver-faced moguls; bull-whip-wielding uber-agents; knobby-kneed socialites; and, of course, short-fingered vulgarians. During its heyday, from 1986 through 1993, Spy broke important ground in journalism and design, defining smartness for its generation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime creation that shaped the zeitgeist and succeeded (for a while) against all odds. Spy: The Funny Years will be the fun, stylish, hilarious holiday gift of the year.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Great book August 14, 2008
I loved Spy. I remember one issue that had autopsy reports on Jim Croce and someone else, in tiny print, in the margins. This was an outstanding magazine, too far ahead of its time to succeed. Hell, it wouldn't succeed now; way too much narcissism today for anyone to find humor in it. This book is a great tribute to a great magazine.
Did anyone ever win the prize for the errors on the cover?
Nice walk down memory lane September 23, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
It was really great when one day my wife & I were at the Jersey shore on a rainy summer afternoon and lo & behold what did appear before my very eyes??? SPY: The funny years! I had to flip through this book and see if any of my contributions (although minor) did appear here (I was an intern in the design dept. during the heyday of SPY) WOW! did that book bring back some really great memories for me. I was even impressed by the fact that every person who ever worked there was listed in the book! I was able to use this to have a little fun with my wife, I called her over and said to her "hey babe, look they published my name in this book!" my wife not realizing I was serious replied "oh wow! Theres a guy with the exact same name as yours!" I laughed and explained that it was really me and told her all about my long internship at SPY. I really miss my friends from SPY and was really saddened to hear about B.W. Honeycutt whom I worked for and held a great respect & admiration (he passed in 1994) but I think I will have to look up a few of my old aquaintances and see "where are they now?"
 Run Away! March 29, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed this magazine when it was published. I assumed I would enjoy this book! No. I expected a recap of witty stories, fun articles, and the mirth and humor I used to enjoy.
This book is primarily behind the scenes information. I really was not interested in the goings on of people I did not know, and do not care to meet. I suppose if you were a fanatic 'Spy' fan this book might be for you.
On the plus side, it looks nice in it's hardbound cover.
Please follow up with a "Best of Spy" book! February 7, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
How glorious to revisit the magnificent "Checks to Cheapskates" caper! Whereby Spy sent checks for 13 cents to Adnan Koshoggi and Donald Trump, who cashed them. (Cher, Bill Blass, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Murdoch, Mort Zuckerman and others cashed $1.11 checks.)
Most huge fans of Spy will want more reprints of classic articles (and in bigger, more readable type) than appear here. Still, it's wonderful to revisit the definitive article, "It's Yuppie Porn, and we can't help ourselves," as well as pieces on washed-up celebrities after-hours wanderings through the Big Apple, "Separated at Birth," "Logrolling in our Time," "Blurb-o-Matic" and "Celebrity Math."
We also have oddball gems such as "Meet the Nobelists: This month's question: What's the best way to eat an Oreo cookie?"
"Spy: The Funny Years" is a 50-50 split between being a narrative about the founding and history of the 1980s' funniest magazine and excerpts from the more infamous articles.
This book will leave you wanting to rush to eBay for some back issues, or wanting to beg Miramax, the publisher of "The Funny Years," to also bring out a "Best of Spy" compilation of the original articles.
I found myself enjoying the narrative of how Spy came to be, a narrative which may create envy in many a journalist in the stuffy mainstream media, reading about the vastly underpaid minions working at Spy to create its hilarious, information-rich visuals that presaged the Web. Spy also presaged "South Park's" evisceration of pompous celebrities (and Saturday Night Live's "Hollywood Minute").
Spy's founders managed to create articles that were hilarious, visually inspired, tough yet accurate, requiring top-notch lawyering. Will we ever see something comparable for our era?
 Spy this! January 24, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you ever read one or more of the great ol' Spy magazines - and miss them passionately - like me . . . getting, perusing & drooling delightfully over this book is a gotta! It's a tasty treat!
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