First Encounters: A Book of Memorable Meetings

by Nancy Caldwell Sorel

Shows and describes the first meetings of Lenin and Trotsky, Garbo and Barrymore, Mahler and Freud, Chaplin and Cocteau, Lang and Goebbels, Chekhov and Tolstoy, Wilde and Whitman, and De Gaulle and Roosevelt

Genres: Nonfiction

127 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Mark Fallon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book of essays and caricatures of the first time historical figure met each other.

[Chris Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

All too brief! The book consists of one page illustrations with a 1-page vignette for each 'First Encounter'. I found myself wishing for 2 or 3 more pages of text with each. The single page of text was usually enough to remind me (or teach me) who the people meeting were and why they were notable, but I found that by the time the text had set the mood for the encounter the author had run out of space and was on to the next pairing.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I'd classify this as "snarky history" - a funny collection of broswe-able historical anecdotes that makes for a high-brow version of airplane reading. How historically accurate are these recounted "encounters," and from where was this material sourced? No idea whatsoever.

[Hamuel Sunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was cute. Some of the entries were cool.
I liked Hearst and Welles and Stravinsky and Auden; Conan Doyle and Houdini was a little heartbreaking; Galbraith and Keynes was my favourite.
The writing was a little precious.

[Lisa]

First Encounters: A Book of Memorable Meetings by Nancy Caldwell Sorel (1994)

[Robin Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and enjoyable book. Stories of first meetings of famous people. Each meeting is described at just the right length, enhanced by a wonderful caricature.