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Book Summary and Reviews of Number One Is Walking by Steve Martin

Number One Is Walking by Steve Martin

Number One Is Walking

My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions

by Steve Martin

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Nov 2022, 256 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Number One Is Walking is Steve Martin's cinematic legacy - an illustrated memoir of his legendary acting career, with stories from his most popular films and artwork by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss.

Steve Martin has never written about his career in the movies before. In Number One Is Walking, he shares anecdotes from the sets of his beloved films―Father of the Bride, Roxanne, The Jerk, Three Amigos, and many more―bringing readers directly into his world. He shares charming tales of antics, moments of inspiration, and exploits with the likes of Paul McCartney, Diane Keaton, Robin Williams, and Chevy Chase. Martin details his forty years in the movie biz, as well as his stand-up comedy, banjo playing, writing, and cartooning, all with his unparalleled wit.

With gorgeously illustrated cartoons and single-panel "diversions" in Steve and Harry's signature style, Number One Is Walking is full of the everyday moments that make up a movie star's life, capturing Steve Martin's singular humor and acclaimed career in film. The perfect gift from the team who brought you the #1 New York Times bestseller A Wealth of Pigeons.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[I]rresistibly charming...Martin maintains his famous comedic persona of guileless arrogance, the jerk he's played on and off since his early stand-up days. But his memories reveal a thoughtful, regularly starstruck performer who anxiously counts the laughs at a screening of All of Me...Film buffs, comedy fans, and legion admirers of both the actor and artist will find themselves smiling from cover to cover." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"In this lighthearted follow-up to their charming 2020 collaboration, A Wealth of Pigeons, Martin and Bliss offer an illustrated look at the former's career, the latter's musings, and their shared muse, Bliss' dog, Penny. The narrative is both disarming and brief...A diverting interlude with two exceptionally clever souls." - Kirkus Reviews

This information about Number One Is Walking was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Steve Martin Author Biography

Steve Martin is one of the most well-known talents in entertainment. His work has earned him an Academy Award®, five Grammy® awards, an Emmy®, the Mark Twain Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors. As an author, Martin's work includes the novel An Object of Beauty, the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, a bestselling novella, Shopgirl, and his memoir Born Standing Up. Martin's films include The Jerk, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Roxanne, Parenthood, L.A. Story, Father of the Bride, and Bowfinger.

Link to Steve Martin's Website

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