| Researcher | Author: Title | |
| Kiddest Metaferia | Collins, Jackie: Lucky | |
| Assignment 1: Bibliographic Description | ||
| 1. First Edition Publication Information | Jackie Collins. Lucky. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.,
1985. Copyright: Simon and Schuster, Inc. | |
| 2. First Edition in Cloth, Paper, or Both? | First American edition published in trade cloth binding | |
| 4. Pagination | 256 Leaves, [10]11-12[13-14]15-157[158-160]161-367[368-370]
371-498[499-450]501-502[503-504]505-509[510-512] The book is separeted into six sections: Prologue, Book One, Book Two, Book Three, Eight Months Later, and Epilogue | |
| 5. Edited and/or Introduced? | The first edition is not edited or introduced | |
| 6. Illustrated? | There are no illustrations | |
| 8. General Appearance | The readability of the book is good, and the book is well
printed. However, the words are a little small to read. In addition, the author also uses italics often which adds to the difficulty of reading the text. The text on the title page of the Prologue, Book One, Book Two, Book Three the section Eight Months Later, and the Epilogue, are in bigger and bolder fonts. Chapter breaks also do not always start at the beginning of the page, but often in the middle of pages. 85R. Size of pages: 25cm X 15cm. Text size: 19cm X 11.5cm. | |
| 10. Description of Paper | The paper used is fairly thick and smooth. The paper stock
is the same throughout. The paper seems to be doing well over time. Although, a slight yellowish tint is becoming apparent. | |
| 11. Description of Binding | The binding of the book is in pink cloth. The title of the
book, the author, and the publisher appear in gold on the spine of the book. Three-fourths of the front and back cover are bound with blue end paper. The blue cover paper is the same as the blue end paper that appears inside the book. Hence, the end paper seems to continue to the binding on the front and back cover. Jackie Collins signature is imprinted on the front cover binding. A dust jacket is included. The cover of the jacket is blue and has the author's name and the title of the book in pink and gold. A heart diamond necklace illustration is situated in the center of the cover between the author's name and the title of the book. On the back of the dust jacket, there is a black and white photo of Jackie Collins. | |
| 12. Title Page Transcription | LUCKY/ JACKIE COLLINS/ SIMON AND SCHUSTER/ NEW YORK | |
| 14. Manuscript Holdings | UNKNOWN | |
| 15. Other | CALL NUMBER: PR6053.0425L8 | |
| Assignment 2: Publication History | ||
| 1. Other Editions: | Simon and Schuster released book club editions and large
print editions in 1985. | |
| 4. First Edition printings or impressions? | The first printing of the first edition was on
August 15, 1985, and 350,000 copies were printed. | |
| 5. Editions from other publishers? | 1985-1986. New York: Pocket Books.
1985. London: Collins. 1895. London: Pan. | |
| 6. Last date in print? | The last date in print found was a mass market paperback
reprint in February 1998. | |
| 7. Total copies sold? | Not found. | |
| 8. Sales by year? | Not found. | |
| 9. Advertising copy: | A review was published in Publisher's Weekly in the Forecast
section. Here is a brief excerpt: This smoothly paced sequel to Chances continues the saga of Lucky Santangelo, the "ice-cold hot" tigress, whose fortune is as huge as her heartaches. From her father Gino, a gangland king pin, Lucky inherited ruthlessness, and enough business sense to run her own Las Vegas hotel. However, success cannot alleviate her unhappiness... The review goes on to say, "Colorful characters populate this novel, plots unfold with exhilarating speed, and Collins easy writing animates every page. | |
| 11. Other promotion? | Not Found. | |
| 12. Performances in other media? | In 1995, a videocassette called "LuckyChances" was released
by Starmaker Entertainment in Troy, Michigan. However, it is based on both Chances (prequel) and Lucky. The executive producers are Susan Baerwald and Jackie Collins. The teleplay is by Jackie Collins, and the director is Buzz Kulik. Nicolette Sheridan and Mary Fran aer just two of the actors that star in it. Running time is approxitamely 285 minutes. (Note: A three part videocassette is also available by Starmaker Entertainment with all the same information as above). In 1990 a three part miniseries entitled "Lucky" was released. In 1991 Simon and Schuster produced an abridged version of Lucky on two soundcassettes. Approximate running time is 180 minutes. The cassettes are read by Jackie Collins. | |
| 13. Translations? | There are numerous editions by various publishers in other
languages. Here are just a few: Laki, Moskava: "cESKSMO-Press", 1998. Lucky, Warszawa: aSwiat Ksinaczki, 1997. Lucky, Milano: Bompiani, 1993. Tien chih Chiao nue, Tai-pei shih: Huang kaun chu pan she, 1986. Lucky, Maribor: Obzorja, 1989. Laoki, Tel Aviv: Zemorah, Bitan, 1988. Lucky, Montreal: Libre expressions, 1987. Lucky, Buenos Aires: Amecae Editores, 1986. Lucky, Maexico, D.F.: Lasser Press, 1985. | |
| 14. Serialization? | There was a brief mention in Publisher's Weekly that the
first serialization was in Cosmopolitan. | |
| 15. Sequels or Prequels? | Prequel:
Chances, NY. Simon and Schuster, 1981. Sequel: Lady Boss, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1990. Vendetta, NY: Harper Collins, 1997. Dangerous Kiss, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1999. | |
| Assignment 3: Brief Biography | ||
| Jackie Collins has over 20 books published, and Lucky is Collins
tenth book. Collins' character, Lucky Santangelos, first appeared in Chances. The character Lucky became so popular that she created a series with Lucky as the main character. Collins has first hand knowelege about hollywood lives and Lucky's surroundings. Her sister is Joan Collins, a famous actress, and Collins has been living in hollywood for over 20 years. In an online chat, Collins said, "I think most storytellers write about the life they know...Writing about famous people and disguising them is my field of expertise and I think my readers can recognize the element of truth in the character. They are getting the real truth about what goes on in Hollywood. I am writing from the inside looking out, not the oustide looking in." Futhermore, Collins has had a crazy streak like her character Lucky. At the age of 15 she was kicked out of school for smoking. Her first husband also did drugs and Jackie stated that she writes a lot about drugs because she feels she know a lot about Hollywood drug use (Online Interview). In addition, Collins has had experience writing romance novels and has been writing provactive material sense she was in grade school. When she was younger she would write limmericks, fantasies,and charge people for a peek at diaries. Collins states, "I knew that sex sold at an early age" (People). In an online interview Collins also stated that Mario Puzo, the author of Godfather, was her favorite author, and she stated that she reads the Godfather at least once a year. Hence, the Collins' Santegelos mob family has probably been influenced by Puzo and the mobsters in the Godfather. | ||
| Assignment 4 | ||
| Contemporary Reception: | ||
| Overall, the book reviews for Lucky were negative. Cambell
Geeslin of People Weekly stated, "Trying to read this book is like staring into a cauldron that is bubbling over with every half-baked idea spewed out by Jacquline Susann, Harold Robbins and all the writers of television's soap operas. It is a hardcore, awful novel." Maureen Dowd from The New York Times Book Review also disliked the novel, and asked why one would want to meet the charachters in Collin's book let alone spend 509 pages with them. Several critics also criticized Collin's writing style in Lucky and critic Geeslin commented, "The author gets so carried away when bedtime rolls around that she forgets to make sentences: 'A wild ritual of incredible sex, followed by the release of being with each other at last. It was a joining of soul mates. A fusion of energies.'" "As that sample indicates," Geslin writes, "Collins is in the front rank of the worst prose producers in the history of the English language." Sources: Publishers Weekly, July 5, 1985. Pg 54 People Weekly, Aug 26, 1985. Pg 20. New York Times Review, Aug 18, 1985. Pg 21. | ||
| Subsequent Reception: | ||
| No subsequent reviews could be found on Lucky. Several of the
reviews of the books in the Lucky Santengelo series mentioned the book Lucky, but none of the articles compared the books to it. However, it seems that Collin's writing style that is found in Lucky has remained throughout the Santangelo books because in a review of Lady Boss from People Weekly in 1990 Joanne Kaufman, the critic, makes similar remarks to that of Campell Geeslin (1985) about Collin's writing style. Kaufman mockily states that "Collin's style, if that's the word, runs to single-sentence paragraphs." Sources: People Weekly, Nov 5, 1990. Pg 39. | ||
| Assignment 5 | ||
| Critical Essay: | ||
| In July 1999, Jackie Collins's book, Dangerous Kiss reached the
New York Times Bestsellers List, but Collins's novels making a bestsellers list is not something new. Collins has written more than twenty-two books, and more of half of them, including, Sinners, Lady Boss, Chances, Hollywood Wives and Hollywood Husbands, have appeared on best-selling lists. Collins seems to know what attributes of a book make it a bestseller, and she uses them to produce one bestseller after another. Collins's book, Lucky, teaches us that an authors own fame, and the genre of the bodice ripper romance can put a book on the bestsellers list. In addition, Lucky shows us that people like to read and buy escapist novels and books that are similar to tabloids. Lucky is the second book in the Santangelo series. Lucky tells a story of Lucky Santangelo, a beautiful and rich mobster, who runs a Las Vegas Casino with her father, Gino. Lucky meets several men and has sexual encounters with them. However, she is madly in love with Lennie, a stand up comedian. Nevertheless, Olympia Stranistopoulos, Lucky's former best friend who is one of the richest women in the world, marries Lennie. Although, Lucky's heart belongs to Lennie, Lucky marries Olympia's father, Dimitri. Eventually, Olympia dies of an overdose with a rock star she has been having an affair with, and Lennie and Lucky are able to be together. There are several simultaneous stories that go on throughout Lucky, which include a lesbian love triangle, kidnapping, and an airplane crash. Lucky became a bestseller partially because of Jackie Collins's fame, which resulted from the success of her novels. However, Collins has always been in the limelight because of her sister, Joan Collins, a famous actress. In addition, Collins has become a household name because several of her books have turned into movies, such as The Stud and The Bitch. Her books Lucky and Chances have also been created into mini-series. Collins has also had her own gossip show,and has appeared on countless television shows, such as the Donny and Marie Show, Roseanne, and Hollywood Squares. Once Collins releases a book, it will probably be on the bestseller's list just because of her name and reputation alone. She has established a loyal audience, and they will buy her book, making them a bestseller. Other authors can create continuous bestseller's because of the their name and fame, such as Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Danielle Steel, all of whom have also had movies or mini-series based on their novels. In addition, the genre of a bodice ripper novel helps establish Lucky as a bestseller. Sex appears rampantly throughout Lucky. All the characters seem to sleep with one another. Collins does not hold back when describing the sex scenes, and she uses raunchy and graphic language to entice the reader. In one scene, Olympia talks to her next boy toy, a Spanish recording star, and Collins writes, "Ill fluuuck yew beauuuutifully," he purred with a winning smile. Pure Plastic. I hope you fluck better than you speak English, she thought as she discreetly slid her hand down and felt for his cock. An encouraging rub and they were away'(86). Collins seems to know that sex sells, and uses it to create a steamy bodice ripper romance. In an article in People, Collins stated, "I knew that sex sold at an early age." Danielle Steel, and Judith Krantz, are also known for using sex through the form of bodice ripper romances to create bestsellers. Furthermore, Lucky is an escape/trash novel, which helps it become a bestseller. Lucky is a light-entertaining beach read that takes the audience away from reality. The readers forget their day-to-day life, and are transported into a world of glamour, beauty, wealth, and pleasure. Collins caters to her readers and brings them their fantasies. For example in one scene, some characters "flew by Concorde from New York to Paris, and from there a private Lear Jet transported them to Nice airport, where a chauffeured Rolls waited to take them to The Greek, as Dimitri had modestly named his yacht" (268). Most of Collins's readers cannot afford the luxuries that are described as above, so they live out their fantasies through Collins's characters. In another scene, Collins describes Francesca Fern, a famous, actress preparing for an award ceremony, and she states, "Francesca Fern clicked talon-red nails. 'Emeralds,' she commanded. Horace sprang toward her traveling Vuitton jewel case and found the requested gems. Francesca clicked again, 'Jourdan Diamante shoes.' Horace raced for the closet and located the size ten evening shoes. Lovingly he placed them upon his wife's large feet. Francesco arose, clipped a huge emerald to an outside earlobe and snapped, 'Perfume.' Horace obliged with a liberal spray of Joy. 'Let us go,' sighed Francesca. 'the peasants are waiting'"(85). In an essence, when a reader reads this he is no longer the lowly "peasant", but is in Francesca's rich and famous world. The escape novel allows for the audience to let their imaginations run wild, and contemplate what it would be like to be in their world. The audience is able to have the emeralds and the Jourdan Diamente shoes that they have always dreamed about. When reading the novel, the audience also does not have to think hard, and they can enjoy the novel for sheer entertainment. The best-selling book Scruples, by Judith Krantz also uses escapism and allows the reader to vision a world of millionaires, socialites and directors. Hence, Lucky shows us that the escape/trash form can create a bestseller because they appeal to readers' fantasies. Another trait that Collins uses to sell her books is that many of her bestsellers are similar to tabloids. Several of her books take place in Hollywood. Since Collins is a celebrity and resides in Hollywood, she has an inside glimpse into the rich and famous. She knows where the rich and famous hang out and the secrets of the scandals that surround them. In an article in People, Jackie describes real hotels that actors go to have flings, and she states, " The Regent Beverly-Wilshire Hotel is the best place for flings. If your caught in the lobby, you could claim you were going to Buccellati jewelers, which has a branch there. Then there's the Bel-Air Hotel. You walk over a little bridge to enter, and it's very discreet. The Beverly Hills Hotel is a little dangerous, unless you get a bungalow on the side street. Then you just give the person you're meeting the number, and they don't have to register." Hence, Jackie knows the ins and the outs of Hollywood, and she brings the truth to her fiction. She takes real life celebrity personalities, and changes their name to use them in her book. On a one line interview she discussed the correlation between the characters in her book and the real life celebrities in Hollywood and she stated: "Well, when I wrote a book called, "The Stud" every guy in Hollywood thought it was him. However, when I wrote "The Hollywood Wives" a lot of women in Hollywood were incensed, I think they were under the impression that I had exposed their secret lives- actually I had. They were mad at me for a while until the book was successful, then they were kind of nice to me. But one woman did approach me and said: You've written about my husband, my husband is Russ Conti in Hollywood Wives, you bitch" And I said "No he is not," There are many fading superstars in Hollywood and I was not writing about your husband." However, sometimes Collins does not try to hide the real identity behind the fictitious character if she does not like a particular celebrity and she comments: "The only people I make really recognizable are people that I want them to know who they are. For instance, there was a producer who was a total pig- so I made him extremely recognizable to all his so-called friends and enemies. I did the same about a journalist who was driving me crazy with her negative comments about me, when we'd never ever met." This real life aspect of celebrity life versus fiction can be seen in Lucky. In one particular scene, Collins describes an outing between Olympia, a billionaire heiress, and Vitos, a rock star,and Collins states: "The paparazzi, observing the couple so dressed at noon, decided they must be getting married, so they followed them in a variety of cars and motor scooters all the way to Long Island, where the wedding was to take place. 'How tiresome!' Olympia exclaimed, as the photographers drew alongside the limousine at every stoplight, clicking and snapping away. Vitos raised his chin and smiled. 'Tirrrresome,' he repeated, wondering if this extra blast of publicity would boost the U.S. sales of his new album, which was not doing quite so well as everyone had anticipated"(95-96). This passage makes the audience wonder who Vitos's and Olympia's true identity are. The audience has to figure out if Vitos is a fictitious character, or perhaps, he is Sting, or some other rock star. Collins comments on this reality versus fiction confusion, and she writes, "I think when you read a book the guessing game about who the characters REALLY are is a lot of fun." This guessing game tactic Collins uses seem to keep a lot of people interested in her books and buying them. Critic Eve Babitz from the Los Angeles Magazine agrees that Collins is able to woo her readers through the appeal of reality versus fiction in her stories, and she states, "It's the clef--the sense that her characters and even their most outrages erotic adventures come from an insider's knowledge of real life in the jet-set that makes her so seductive." America's obsession with celebrities is also a reason for Collins appeal. Her audience desires to know what scandalous things celebrities do in their personal lives, and Collins gives them the celebrity gossip they want to know. Hollywood Wives and Hollywood Husbands are two other bestsellers created by Jackie that deal with Hollywood celebrities and their behind the scenes private lives. The bestseller Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Sussan is also another bestseller that caters to America's thirst to hear about celebrity gossip. The book Lucky teaches up many things about what ingredients can make a book a bestseller. Lucky shows us that an author's fame can cause a book to become a bestseller. In addition, it shows that sex sells books through the bodice ripper romance genre. Lucky also teaches us that people desire to escape from their ordinary lives, and read about the rich, powerful, and glamorous. We see how a book that is similar to a tabloid and addresses celebrity gossip will probably become a bestseller. Collins upcoming book is Hollywood Wives, the new Breed, which will address the changes that have taken place in the wives of Hollywood, since the Hollywood wives of 1983. If Collins sticks to her usual escapist formula of bodice ripping romance with lots of juicy gossip about the rich and famous, we will more than likely see Hollywood Wives, the New Breed on future bestseller lists. Sources: http://chat.lycos.com/transcripts.jcollins_htm People Weekly, Nov 12,1984. People Weekly, Spring 1991 Collins,Jackie. Lucky. 1985. www.sspfrance.com/library/bstsllrs799.htm www.galenet.com ENTC 312 Bestsellers Database | ||
Bestsellers
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Maintained by unsworth@uiuc.edu