"The most thoughtful and thoroughgoing sociological analysis I know of this strange and ubiquitous phenomenon, celebrity. Intricately argued and elegantly written, frequently amusing and properly alarming, "Claims to Fame deftly avoids either undervaluing or overvaluing the gullibility of the consumers of celebrity. Gamson--to use his own words--'mines . . . superficialities for their depths' and gives us more insight into the culture of entertainment than a dozen treatises on the 'resistant' potential of Madonna."--Todd Gitlin, University of California, Berkeley
"The best general account we have of the economic and representational parameters of contemporary celebrity. "Claims to Fame would be worth reading simply for its lively and wonderfully detailed description of the 'celebrity industry' in Los Angeles. Yet, by tying this description to a compelling argument about the nature of our investment in celebrity images, the book does much more. It should have an important place in future discussions of the mass media and American culture."--Richard deCordova, DePaul University, author of "Picture Personalities
"Insightful, well-written, replete with telling anecdotes, "Claims to Fame demonstrateshow one can critically analyze American culture without sneering at the American people."--Gaye Tuchman, author of "Making News
Or split into 4x interest-free payments of 25% on orders over R50
Learn more
"The most thoughtful and thoroughgoing sociological analysis I know of this strange and ubiquitous phenomenon, celebrity. Intricately argued and elegantly written, frequently amusing and properly alarming, "Claims to Fame deftly avoids either undervaluing or overvaluing the gullibility of the consumers of celebrity. Gamson--to use his own words--'mines . . . superficialities for their depths' and gives us more insight into the culture of entertainment than a dozen treatises on the 'resistant' potential of Madonna."--Todd Gitlin, University of California, Berkeley
"The best general account we have of the economic and representational parameters of contemporary celebrity. "Claims to Fame would be worth reading simply for its lively and wonderfully detailed description of the 'celebrity industry' in Los Angeles. Yet, by tying this description to a compelling argument about the nature of our investment in celebrity images, the book does much more. It should have an important place in future discussions of the mass media and American culture."--Richard deCordova, DePaul University, author of "Picture Personalities
"Insightful, well-written, replete with telling anecdotes, "Claims to Fame demonstrateshow one can critically analyze American culture without sneering at the American people."--Gaye Tuchman, author of "Making News
Imprint | University of California Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | March 1994 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days |
First published | 1994 |
Authors | Joshua Gamson |
Dimensions | 229 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback - Trade |
Pages | 270 |
Edition | Revised |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-520-08353-0 |
Barcode | 9780520083530 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-520-08353-9 |