October 15, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000
                        lunger@oscars.org


CONTACT: Suzanne Wickham - (818) 832-1407
                      swickhambeaird@aol.com

	"75 Years of the Oscar®: The Official History of the Academy Awards®" by Robert Osborne

“…A well-organized and well-indexed reference source on award nominations, winners, and ceremonies. Osborne’s extensive coverage of the ceremonies themselves is probably his most unique contribution. A very readable and visually attractive presentation of a popular subject, as well as a solid reference source.”
-Choice

This magnificent history of the Academy Awards has just been published by Abbeville Press. The perfect gift for movie buffs as well as serious film scholars, 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards is an exciting and comprehensive portrait of Oscar through the years. Presented decade by decade, the book chronicles the origins of the Academy, then presents details of the Awards ceremony and the events leading up to it for each individual year. It is a sweeping history, filled with wonderful anecdotes and personal observations. This official history includes a complete listing of the nominees and winners in every category. Robert Osborne’s meticulous research and extensive knowledge make 75 Years of the Oscar the most accurate, definitive book ever published on the subject.

To celebrate the arrival of the book in stores, Osborne will be signing copies of 75 Years of the Oscar on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store at The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

Osborne traces the history of the awards through the formative years of the film industry through to the present. He illustrates how the Oscars have been influenced by changing world events and how each year’s ceremony – and the movies honored that year – are a reflection of their time. Lavishly illustrated with 725 images, many from the Academy’s archives (and rarely seen), 75 Years of the Oscar presents a complete visual retrospective. The book’s lively text is further enhanced with movie stills, candid photos from the ceremonies and copies of the original posters for each year’s best picture.

This new edition, written by Osborne in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is expanded and revised, including the 75th Anniversary Awards, for complete, up-to-date coverage.

It’s all here: the best films, the famous performers, the talented professionals behind the scenes, and the magic of Hollywood’s favorite night of the year: the Academy Awards. 75 Years of the Oscar is the ultimate book for all of us who love the movies.

Please note: A downloadable image of the cover of 75 Years of the Oscar is available at http://photos.oscars.org .

Robert Osborne is available for interviews in Los Angeles and New York. For booking details, please contact Suzanne Wickham at 818-832-1407 or swickhambeaird@aol.com

“…It is the one time in my life when I had such happiness I couldn’t even share it with another human being. I ducked the party, lost the crowds and took a walk. Just me and Oscar.”
-Frank Sinatra

“Being nominated for an Academy Award by your fellow actors is a special honor and a fantastic, though numbing, experience. … I was longing to win, and wanted to so badly that I was afraid that I would stand up no matter which name was read out.”
-Grace Kelly

“It remains the high point of my professional life, precisely because of my respect and affection for my acting colleagues who nominated me for the honor.”
-Gregory Peck

“…and there you are – the envelope open – my God, it’s me. The music, the cheers, the mike, and all the world awaiting the simple words you’ve been planning for twenty years. And you’re a zombie; a babbling, giggling, slobbering zombie --without a two-cent string of intelligible sounds to save your soul."
-Shirley Jones

“The accolade, the acceptance, the acknowledgement that this award has given me, to my surprise, more whiffs of personal happiness in my soul than I ever expected it to. Usually once every two or three days, for periods of two or three minutes at a time, an enormous giggle of happiness comes over me.”
-Richard Dreyfuss

“In show business, where even the biggest names go through up and down periods of being ‘hot’ and ‘cold,’ there is one name that has always been ‘hot’ – Oscar. Everybody wants him.”
-Sidney Sheldon

About the Author:

Robert Osborne is a columnist and critic for The Hollywood Reporter, one of Hollywood’s most important daily papers, and prime-time host and anchor of the Turner Classic Movies Cable television network. He has written a dozen books on the film world, many of them focused on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.