Adler, Bill 1929-
ADLER, Bill 1929-
(William Adler, Jay David)
PERSONAL: Born May 14, 1929, in New York, NY; son of William J. (a display creator) and Belle Adler; married Gloria Goodman, February 26, 1956; children: William, Diane. Education: Attended Brooklyn College (now Brooklyn College of the City University of New York), 1947–51.
ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214.
CAREER: Writer, editor, book packager, and book creator. Bill Adler Books, Inc. (literary agency), New York, NY, president. Member of New York City Youth Board. Military service: U.S. Army, 1951–53.
MEMBER: Radio and Television Executives Society (former member of board of governors).
WRITINGS:
(With Irving Settel) Congratulations, It's Your Birthday!, Citadel (New York, NY), 1959.
(With Irving Settel) Congratulations, You're a Grandparent!, Citadel (New York, NY), 1959.
(With Irving Settel) Congratulations, You're Married!, Citadel (New York, NY), 1959.
(With Bob Reisner) Western on Wry, Citadel (New York, NY), 1960.
(With Bob Reisner) What Goes on Here?, Citadel (New York, NY), 1963.
(With Sayre Ross) Pope Paul in the United States: His Mission for Peace on Earth, Hawthorn (New York, NY), 1965.
(With Arnie Kogen) What to Name Your Jewish Baby, Dutton (New York, NY), 1966.
(With Sayre Ross) Medicare and You, New American Library (New York, NY), 1966.
Jewish Wit and Wisdom, Dell (New York, NY), 1969.
How to Be Funny in Your Own Lifetime, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1973.
(With Jeffrey Feinman) Mel Brooks: The Irreverent Funnyman, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1973.
(With Jeffrey Feinman) Woody Allen: Clown Prince of American Humor, Pinnacle Books (New York, NY), 1975.
The Kennedy Kids, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1976.
A Quiz Book: Interesting Facts that Inform and Entertain, illustrations by Ed Malsberg, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1977.
RFK: A Special Kind of Man, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1977.
Bill Adler's Love Letters to Elvis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1978.
(With Gary Wagner) The Second Time Is Better, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.
(With Gary Wagner) When I Fall in Love, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1979.
The Kennedy Children: Triumphs and Tragedies, F. Watts (New York, NY), 1980.
The Official Ronnie and Nancy Cat Book, photographs by Suzanne Szasz, Quill (New York, NY), 1981.
Elizabeth Taylor, Triumphs & Tragedies, Ace Books (New York, NY), 1982.
(With Bess Myerson) The I [Love] New York Diet, Morrow (New York, NY), 1982.
Inside Publishing, Bobbs-Merrill (New York, NY), 1982.
(With Norman King) All in the First Family: The Presidents' Kinfolk, Putnam (New York, NY), 1982.
(With Phyllis George) The I [Love] America Diet, Morrow (New York, NY), 1983.
(With Suzy Chaffee) The I [Love] NY Fitness Book, Morrow (New York, NY), 1983.
Dear Grandma, illustrated by Bettye Beach, T. Nelson (Schooleys Mountain, NJ), 1985.
Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime, Warner (New York, NY), 1985.
(With Bill Adler, Jr.) The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street, Dow Jones-Irwin (Homewood, IL), 1985.
Ronnie and Nancy: A Very Special Love Story, Crown (New York, NY), 1985.
The Cosby Wit: His Life and Humor, Quill (New York, NY), 1986.
Baseball Wit, Crown (New York, NY), 1986.
What Is a Cat?: For Everyone Who Has Ever Loved a Cat, illustrations by Douglas Florian, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.
Fred Astaire: A Wonderful Life, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1987.
Sinatra, the Man and the Myth: An Unauthorized Biography, New American Library, 1987.
The Generals: The New American Heroes, Avon (New York, NY), 1991.
(With Heather Harney) The Anti-Cancer, Heart Attack, Stroke Diet: The Three-in-One Defense Against Cancer, Heart Attack, and Stroke, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1991.
100 Ways to Love America, illustrated by William Bramhall, Avon (New York, NY), 1991.
500 Great Facts about America, illustrated by William Bramhall, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.
Do You Remember the 50s?, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.
Do You Remember the 60s?, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.
(With Bruce Cassiday) The World of Jay Leno: His Humor and His Life, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1992.
(With Peggy Robin) Outwitting Toddlers and Other Small Human Beings: Real Advice from Real Parents, illustrated by Loel Barr, Lowell House (Los Angeles, CA), 1993, published as Outwitting Toddlers, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2001.
The Letterman Wit: His Life and Humor, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1994.
(With wife, Gloria Adler) Marriage's Little Advice Book, Morrow (New York, NY), 1994.
First, Kill all the Lawyers: Legal Proverbs, Epitaphs, Jokes, Anecdotes, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
Outwitting the Neighbors, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.
(With Gloria Goodman) Rosie: The Life and Humor of Rosie O' Donnell, Quill (New York, NY), 1998.
Stories Grandparents Tell about Their Grandchildren, Quill (New York, NY), 2001.
EDITOR, COMPILER
Letters from Camp, Chilton (Radnor, PA), 1961.
Boys Are Very Funny People, Morrow (New York, NY), 1962.
Kids' Letters to President Kennedy, illustrated by Louis Darling, Morrow (New York, NY), 1962.
Love Letters to the Beatles, Putnam (New York, NY), 1964.
Dear President Johnson, illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, Morrow (New York, NY), 1964.
John F. Kennedy, The Kennedy Wit, Citadel (New York, NY), 1964.
John F. Kennedy and the Young People of America, McKay (New York, NY), 1965.
Love Letters to the Mets, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1965.
Winston Churchill, The Churchill Wit, Coward (New York, NY), 1965.
Lyndon B. Johnson, The Johnson Humor, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1965.
John F. Kennedy, More Kennedy Wit, Citadel (New York, NY), 1965.
The Common Sense Wisdom of Three First Ladies, Citadel (New York, NY), 1966.
Dear Beatles, Wonder Books (New York, NY), 1966.
Dear Internal Revenue, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1966.
Dear 007, illustrated by Paul Bacon, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1966.
Dear Senator Kennedy, Dodd (New York, NY), 1966.
Kids' Letters to the F.B.I., illustrated by Arnold Roth, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1966.
Letters to Smokey Bear, Wonder Books (New York, NY), 1966.
More Letters from Camp, New American Library (New York, NY), 1966.
(With Sayre Ross) The Pope John Album: His Life, His Family, His Career, His Words, Hawthorn (New York, NY), 1966.
Presidential Wit from Washington to Johnson, Trident (New York, NY), 1966.
Adlai E. Stevenson, The Stevenson Wit, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1966.
Graffiti, Pyramid, 1967.
Letters from Vietnam, Dutton (New York, NY), 1967, reprinted, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2003.
Letters to the Air Force on UFOs, Dell (New York, NY), 1967.
Love Letters to the Monkees, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1967.
Letters to the Editor, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1967.
Billy Graham and others, My Favorite Funny Story, Four Winds (Bristol, FL), 1967.
Washington—A Reader: The National Capitol as Seen through the Eyes of Thomas Jefferson and Others, Meredith, 1967.
(And author of introduction) The Washington Wits, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1967.
Billy Graham, The Wit and Wisdom of Billy Graham, Random House (New York, NY), 1967.
(With Sayre Ross) Astronaut Exercise Book, New American Library (New York, NY), 1967.
Children's Letters to Santa Claus, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1967.
John F. Kennedy, The Complete Kennedy Wit, Citadel (New York, NY), 1967.
Prescription: Laughter—An Anthology of Medical Merriment, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1968.
Robert F. Kennedy, The Robert F. Kennedy Wit, Berkley (New York, NY), 1968.
Funniest Stories for Grownups Only, Citadel (New York, NY), 1968.
A New Day: Robert F. Kennedy, New American Library (New York, NY), 1968.
Israel: A Reader, Chilton (Philadelphia, PA), 1968.
Fulton J. Sheen, The Wit and Wisdom of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1968.
Bridge Players Write the Funniest Letters to Charles H. Goren, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1968.
Dear Dating Computer, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1968.
Dear Rabbi, Morrow (New York, NY), 1968.
Eugene J. McCarthy, The McCarthy Wit, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1969.
Richard M. Nixon, The Wit and Humor of Richard Nixon, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1969.
(With Catherine J. Greene) The Wall Street Reader, World Publishing (New York, NY), 1970.
Funny Letters from Famous People, illustrated by Al Kilgore, Four Winds (New York, NY), 1970.
Speaker's Complete Library of Wit and Humor, Parker Publishing (New York, NY), 1970.
Hip Kids' Letters from Camp, Morrow (New York, NY), 1971.
Kids' Letters to Spiro Agnew, Geis (New York, NY), 1971.
Letters to Wall Street, World Publishing (New York, NY), 1971.
(With Catherine J. Greene) Profits in Real Estate: A Reader, World Publishing (New York, NY), 1971.
Letters to the Obstetrician, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 1972.
Still More Letters from Camp, New American Library (New York, NY), 1973.
The Illustrated Book of World Records, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1974.
Firsts, Facts, and Feats, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1975.
World's Worst Riddles and Jokes, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1976.
Again, More Letters from Camp, Manor (Staten Island, NY), 1976.
Jimmy Carter, The Wit and Wisdom of Jimmy Carter, Citadel (New York, NY), 1977.
Dear Amy Carter, Playboy Press (Chicago, IL), 1977.
Kids' Letters to President Carter, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1978.
Sports Question and Answer Book, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1978.
The Runner's Liar's Diary, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1979.
Dear Pastor, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1980.
Dear Lord, illustrated by Bettye Beach, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1982.
Kids' Letters to President Reagan, illustrated by Sandy Huffaker, foreword by Willard Scott, M. Evans (New York, NY), 1982.
Please Save My World, illustrations by Candy Jernigan, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1984.
Motherhood, a Celebration, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1987.
(With David Gallen) Great Lawyer Stories: From Courthouse to Jailhouse, Tall Tales, Jokes, and Anecdotes, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1992.
(With Peggy Robin) The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1993.
(Compiler, with wife, Gloria Adler) The Joys of Having a Child: The Wisest, Wittiest, and Most Wonderful Things Ever Said about Having One, Morrow (New York, NY), 1993.
Children's Letters to Santa Claus, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1993.
Children's Letters to Socks: Kids Write to America's "First Cat", Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
(With Bill Adler, Jr.) Ross Perot: An American Maverick Speaks Out, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
Kid's Letters from Camp, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
Time Machines: The Greatest Time Travel Stories Ever Written, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1997.
(With Bill Adler, Jr.) The Reagan Wit: The Humor of the American President, Morrow (New York, NY), 1998.
(With Jessica Allen) The Wit and Wisdom of Jesse "The Mind" Ventura, Quill (New York, NY), 1999.
Diana: A Portrait in Her Own Words, Morrow (New York, NY), 1999.
If I Were President, Morrow (New York, NY), 2000.
Kids' Letters to Harry Potter from around the World: An Unauthorized Collection, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2001.
Funny Ladies: The Best Humor from America's Funniest Women, Andrews McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 2001.
America's First Ladies: Their Uncommon Wisdom, from Martha Washington to Laura Bush, Taylor (Lanham, MD), 2002.
(With Tracy Quinn) World War II Letters: A Glimpse into the Heart of the Second World War through the Words of Those Who Were Fighting It, St. Martin's (New York, NY), 2002.
(With Bill Adler, Jr.) The Quotable Giuliani: The Mayor of America in His Own Words, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2002.
America's Founding Fathers: Their Uncommon Wisdom and Wit, Taylor (Lanham, MD), 2003.
John F. Kennedy, The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK: A Portrait in His Own Words (includes DVD), Rugged Land (New York, NY), 2003.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words (includes DVD), Morrow (New York, NY), 2004.
George W. Bush, The Quotable George W. Bush: A Portrait in His Own Words, Andrews McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 2004.
Kids' Letters to President Bush, illustrated by Chuck Rekow, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 2005.
Also author of Kids' E-Mail and Letters from Camp.
CREATOR
Thomas Chastain, Who Killed the Robins Family?: And Where, and When, and How, and Why, Did They Die?, Morrow (New York, NY), 1983.
Thomas Chastain, The Revenge of the Robins Family, Morrow (New York, NY), 1984.
Fran Tarkenton and Herb Resnicow, Murder at the Super Bowl, Morrow (New York, NY), 1986.
(And author of introductory note) Thomas Chastain and others, Murder in Manhattan, Morrow (New York, NY), 1986.
David R. Slavitt, The Agent, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1986.
Thomas Chastain, The Picture-Perfect Murders, photographs by Marjorie Dressler, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.
Jon L. Breen and others, Murder in Los Angeles, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.
The Adams Round Table, A Body Is Found, Wynwood (New York, NY), 1990.
Bruce Cassiday, Murder Game: There's a $10,000 Reward for Solving the Murder; It Could Be Yours! (novel), Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1991.
Bruce Cassiday, Who Should Marry Melissa, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
The Uncommon Wisdom of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words, Carol Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
The Family Secret: An Anthology, Morrow (New York, NY), 1994.
Cats' Letters to Santa, illustrated by Paul Bacon, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1995.
The Quotable Conservative: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insight of Freedom's Most Passionate Advocates, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1996.
The Uncommon Wisdom of Ronald Reagan: A Portrait in His Own Words Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1996.
The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey: A Portrait in Her Own Words, Morrow (New York, NY), 1997.
The Quotable Kennedys, Avon (New York, NY), 1997.
Bruce Cassiday, Murder on the Internet, Morrow (New York, NY), 1999.
(With Mel Watkins) "Mavis Kaye," Who Killed Tiffany Jones?, Amistad (New York, NY), 2002.
UNDER PSEUDONYM JAY DAVID
The Young Fords, Award Books, 1975.
Autocize, Morrow (New York, NY), 1979.
The Meeting Book: Never Be Lonely Again, Cornerstone Press (St. Louis, MO), 1979.
How to Play the Moonlighting Game, Facts on File (New York, NY), 1983.
Inside Joan Collins: A Biography, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1988.
The New York Yankees: Legendary Heroes, Magical Moments, and Amazing Statistics through the Decades Morrow (New York, NY), 1997.
The Life and Humor of Robin Williams: A Biography Quill (New York, NY), 1999.
(Compiler) Songs of Wisdom: Quotes from Great African-Americans of the Twentieth Century, Morrow (New York, NY), 2000.
EDITOR; UNDER PSEUDONYM JAY DAVID
The Flying Saucer Reader, New American Library (New York, NY), 1967.
The Kennedy Reader, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1967.
Growing Up Black, Morrow (New York, NY), 1968.
Letters from Israel: The Making of a Nation, 1948–1968, introduction by Leon Uris, Coward (New York, NY), 1968.
The Weight of the Evidence: The Warren Report and Its Critics, Meredith (New York, NY), 1968.
Growing Up Jewish, Morrow (New York, NY), 1969.
Flying Saucers Have Arrived!, World Publishing (New York, NY), 1970.
(With Mel Watkins) To Be a Black Woman: Portraits in Fact and Fiction, Morrow (New York, NY), 1971.
(With Catherine J. Greene) Black Roots: An Anthology, Lothrop (New York, NY), 1971.
(With Helise Harrington) Growing Up African, Morrow (New York, NY), 1971.
(With Elaine Crane) Living Black in White America, Morrow (New York, NY), 1971.
Black Joy, Cowles (Chicago, IL), 1971.
(With Elaine Crane) The Black Soldier: From the American Revolution to Vietnam, Morrow (New York, NY), 1971.
Black Defiance: Black Profiles in Courage, Morrow (New York, NY), 1972.
The American Indian: The First Victim, Morrow (New York, NY), 1972.
Growing Up Black: From Slave Days to the Present: Twenty-five African-Americans Reveal the Trials and Triumphs of Their Childhoods, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.
The Stay-at-Home Entrepreneur: 125 Ways to Earn Money While Raising Your Family, Avon (New York, NY), 1999.
Also writer for the television programs Candid Camera and Tex and Jinx.
SIDELIGHTS: Although Bill Adler (not to be confused with his son, Bill Adler, Jr., who is also a prolific author) has published books on a variety of subjects, he is best known for his works reflecting the wit and humor of famous people. In most cases, Adler (who is also published under the pseudonym Jay David) compiles a book by selecting and editing quotations and anecdotes of noteworthy individuals. Many critics feel that he shows his readers the human side of a celebrity or politician, a side many people seldom have the opportunity to see. He usually accomplishes this goal through the use of humor. For example, a reviewer for Time wrote that The Stevenson Wit "reminds readers that [Adlai] Stevenson was a singularly lighthearted and amusing man. There is, for example, his rallying call during the 1952 presidential campaign: 'Eggheads unite—you have nothing to lose but your yolks.'… Or the comment he made in 1960 when he was caught in a traffic jam at the Washington airport as Charles de Gaulle arrived: 'It seems my fate is always to be getting in the way of national heroes.'"
Other Adler collections are thematic rather than centered around a single person. Among these are Funny Ladies: The Best Humor from America's Funniest Women, which collects quotes from professional humor writers and comediennes, including Erma Bombeck and Roseanne Barr, actresses from Jane Fonda to Marilyn Monroe, and even from politician and activist Bella Abzug; and The Quotable Conservative: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insight of Freedom's Most Passionate Advocates, which features quotes from conservatives ranging from former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to columnist George Will and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Adler's books have also helped to bring history to life for his younger readers. For example, he published The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK: A Portrait in His Own Words in 2003, forty years after that president was assassinated. (It was not Adler's first book about Kennedy; he published both the best-selling The Kennedy Wit and More Kennedy Wit in the mid-1960s.) Like Adler's previous works, the book contains memorable quotations from Kennedy, but it also includes longer excerpts from his various speeches and delves more deeply into Kennedy's life before 1960, when he was elected president. The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK was sold bundled with a DVD containing clips of Kennedy, which, as Michael A. Genovese noted in Library Journal, permits "those too young to know a chance to see the former President speak eloquently for himself." Ronald Reagan, a president from the other side of the political spectrum, is featured in another of Adler's works, The Reagan Wit: The Humor of the American President, a ten-chapter thematic collection that Adler edited in collaboration with his son.
Other popular books edited by Adler are collections of letters, which are usually written to a well-known person or institution. Although humor is still a key factor in these books, serious problems are also explored by the authors. In a Library Journal review of Kids' Letters to President Carter Ruth C. Mitchell explained that "Adler presents a selection of 335 preteenagers' letters written to President Carter during 1977, his first year in office. The letters are candid, friendly, full of unintentional chucklegetters and insights. The kids offer advice on family and international problems, [and] ask nosy questions…. But the book is more than just humorous. It reflects the interests and concerns of the children of this era…. Today's letter-writers seem more concerned with internal affairs: the lack of jobs and money, high taxes and prices, the energy crisis, women's rights, etc."
A number of critics have also recognized Adler's ability to handle the more serious topics confronted in these letters with understanding and sensitivity. Even in the political Letters from Vietnam, Adler shows readers life through the eyes of others so that we may see the situation more clearly, understanding the various elements involved with the subjects under exploration. Orville Prescott wrote in the Saturday Review that Letters from Vietnam is "an interesting and quietly moving book [which] … lets the men on the spot speak for themselves. They do so frankly, bitterly, eloquently. The result is unpretentious and almost casual, but a genuine contribution to the literature of war…. [The] different points of view make Letters from Vietnam provocative." And a writer for Choice explained that "accurately mirrored in these authentic, not written for publication, expressions of feeling and opinion is the national confusion about America's purposes in and justification for continued military involvement in what is essentially an Asiatic war…. [It is of value] especially because of its compiler's successful efforts to avoid one-sidedness on a most disputatious issue." Letters from Vietnam was republished in 2003, and it stood the test of time, according to Booklist contributor Margaret Flanagan, who found the book "teeming with both information and emotion"; the critic thought that it would particularly resonate with those concerned about the war the United States was then fighting in Iraq.
Another book in this genre is World War II Letters: A Glimpse into the Heart of the Second World War through the Words of Those Who Were Fighting It. This volume includes letters written by soldiers from multiple countries, on both the Allied and Axis sides of the war. Some write about mundane topics, like the weather or the unusual local customs and foods of the countries in which they fought; some describe their firsthand experiences with the horrors of the war, such as viewing the notorious Belsen concentration camp or the destruction of Nagasaki, on which the U.S. military dropped a nuclear weapon at the close of the war in Japan. "The letter from a nun describing what it was like living through an atomic bomb attack" is "truly interesting," according to Library Journal contributor Richard Nowicki. "But," concluded Booklist reviewer Jay Freeman, "the most moving writers speak of their love for friends and family, loneliness, and hopes for the future."
Adler's Kids' Letters to Harry Potter from around the World: An Unauthorized Collection, although seemingly a similar title, was less well-received that many of Adler's other collections of letters. Bookstores around the world helped Adler collect letters that fans of Harry Potter, star of the best-selling series of children's novels by British author J.K. Rowling, wrote to the fictional wizard. But, noted a Publishers Weekly contributor, "Adler does not explain how the letters were solicited." And, Ilene Cooper wrote in Booklist, it seems obvious that most children old enough to read the Harry Potter books "would have written to J.K. Rowling rather than the fictional Harry if not otherwise instructed." Still, Timothy Capehart commented in School Library Journal, the contributors' "excitement for and love of the novels are apparent."
Having created a wealth of book ideas for himself to write and edit, Adler began generating ideas in the 1980s for murder mysteries that were written by others. Who Killed the Robins Family?: And Where, and When, and How, and Why, Did They Die?, which was masterminded by Adler and written by Thomas Chastain, offered a $10,000 reward to the reader who solved a series of crimes that led to the murder of the eight Robinses. Carolyn Banks, who reviewed this mystery novel for the Washington Post, commented: "In any case, this is obviously more gimmick than book, but it's a good gimmick. I'm even tempted to predict that Who Killed the Robins Family? will go on to replace the Parker Brothers' parlor game, 'Clue,' as the gag gift for mystery buffs at Christmastime." Of the sequel, The Revenge of the Robins Family, which again offered a cash reward for solving the murder mysteries, Cindy Lieberman wrote in the Los Angeles Times Book Review: "This all reeks more of a marketing gimmick than an exercise in murder mystery writing, but mystery buffs and puzzle fans with the patience to wait nearly a year for solutions will certainly find it fun." The books proved popular, nevertheless, with Who Killed the Robins Family? becoming a best-seller. Adler followed this up with further installments, including Who Killed Tiffany Jones?, which also offered $10,000 prizes. To claim that prize, readers had to solve twelve different murders, beginning with that of the title character, a singer, who is killed during a performance at Harlem's famous Apollo Theater. A former police detective, Kim Carlyle, helps readers with her investigation, and by the end of the book it is clear that diamond smuggling is somehow involved.
An agent and book packager as well as an author, Adler has written about the business side of books, notably in Inside Publishing, in which he offered anecdotes and accounts of the publishing industry. Michele Slung criticized Inside Publishing in the Washington Post Book World, saying that the book contributes to the widespread industry problems that it describes. "Full of conflicting advice, repetitious maxims, simplistic thinking and bulging at the seams with dropped names (from Buster Crabbe to William French Smith)," the critic attested, "it's practically a textbook example of what an unedited manuscript might read like." Meanwhile, Edwin McDowell, writing in the New York Times, found at least one of Adler's anecdotes particularly illuminating. Adler recounts how Random House refused to publish The Kennedy Wit, a collection of public remarks made by the late President John F. Kennedy, when Kennedy's press secretary requested that the book not be published. More than thirty-five publishers rejected the manuscript before it was ultimately purchased by Citadel Press; Adler's The Kennedy Wit went on to enjoy more than six months on the New York Times best sellers list.
Adler is well known for his business sense: His books are timely and cover a wide range of topics. For instance, in the 1980s he wrote a book about becoming a successful entrepreneur titled Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime. Like Who Killed the Robins Family?, Adler offered a $25,000 prize to the reader who entered the best new business idea embodying the principles of Chance of a Lifetime; in order to enter participants paid a one dollar processing fee. Allan Cox, reviewing this book for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, deemed it a success: "Early on, the book is informative on the entrepreneurial spirit of the times and engrossing as Adler cites cases of people who have taken the plunge. The lessons to be drawn from their varying fates are valuable."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Accounting Review, July, 1985, review of The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street, p. 589.
American Book Review, annual, 1986, review of The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street, p. 87.
American Forests, December, 1969, review of Letters to Smokey Bear, p. 50.
Best Sellers, June 1, 1966, review of Dear Senator Kennedy, p. 99; September 15, 1967, review of Letters to the Editor, p. 236; September 1, 1968, review of Dear Rabbi, p. 228; January 1, 1970, review of Funny Letters from Famous People, p. 387; June, 1982, review of All in the First Family, p. 100; September, 1982, review of Inside Publishing, p. 246.
Booklist, June 15, 1967, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 1084; February 1, 1968, review of Washington: A Reader, p. 620; November 15, 1969, review of Growing Up Jewish, p. 384; June 1, 1970, review of The Wall Street Reader, p. 1178; February 1, 1977, review of World's Worst Riddles and Jokes, p. 804; July 15, 1978, review of Kids' Letters to President Carter, p. 1712; April 1, 1979, review of The Second Time Is Better, p. 1207; July, 1985, review of Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime, p. 1476; November 1, 1992, review of Great Lawyer Stories: From Courthouse to Jailhouse—Tall Tales, Jokes, and Anecdotes, p. 469; May 1, 1994, Mike Tribby, review of The Letterman Wit: His Life and Humor, p. 1574; November 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Kids' Letters to Harry Potter from around the World: An Unauthorized Collection, p. 472; November 15, 2002, Jay Freeman, review of World War II Letters: A Glimpse into the Heart of the Second World War through the Words of Those Who Were Fighting It, p. 567; November 15, 2003, Margaret Flanagan, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 568.
Book World, February 16, 1969, review of The Wit and Humor of Richard Nixon, p. 13.
Catholic Library World, April, 1970, review of Funny Letters from Famous People, p. 387.
Choice, November, 1967, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 1042; June, 1969, review of Israel, p. 566; October, 1970, review of Flying Saucers Have Arrived, p. 1069; June, 1969; January, 1972, review of Growing Up African, p. 1514; October, 1972, review of The American Indian, p. 1047.
Cosmopolitan, April, 1982, Catherine Houck, review of The I [Love] New York Diet, p. 78.
Dun's Business Month, February, 1986, review of The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street, p. 50.
Economic Books: Current Selections, March, 1986, review of The Wit and Wisdom of Wall Street, p. 72.
Entertainment Weekly, May 6, 1994, Lois Alter Mark, review of Children's Letters to Socks: Kids Write to America's "First Cat", p. 74; May 20, 1994, D. A. Ball, review of The Letterman Wit, p. 56.
Environmental Nutrition, November, 1991, review of Anti-Cancer, Heart Attack, Stroke Diet Book: The Three-in-One Defense against Cancer, Heart Attack, and Stroke, p. 8.
Glamour, April, 1983, Linda Gordon, review of The I [Love] America Diet, p. D5.
Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), November 22, 2003, review of The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK: A Portrait in His Own Words, p. D19.
Health, May, 1982, Maryann B. Brinley, review of The I [Love] New York Diet, p. 41; January, 1984, Sally Cummings, review of The I [Love] New York Fitness Book, p. 37.
Horn Book Guide, spring, 1995, review of Kids' Letters from Camp, p. 141.
Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1966, review of Dear Internal Revenue, p. 666; August 1, 1966, review of Presidential Wit, from Washington to Johnson, p. 813; August 15, 1966, review of What to Name Your Jewish Baby, p. 865; February 1, 1967, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 166; June 15, 1967, review of Letters to the Editor, p. 715; October 1, 1967, review of Washington, p. 1234; January 15, 1968, review of Prescription: Laughter, p. 78; July 15, 1968, review of Dear Dating Computer, p. 786; March 1, 1971, review of Letters to Wall Street, p. 259; March 1, 1973, review of How to Be Funny in Your Own Lifetime, p. 280; February 1, 1978, review of Kids' Letters to President Carter, p. 141; August 1, 1980, review of The Kennedy Children, p. 1031; February 15, 1982, review of All in the First Family, p. 238; February 1, 1986, review of Baseball Wit, p. 173; March 15, 1987, review of Motherhood: A Celebration, p. 430.
Kliatt, fall, 1977, review of Dear Amy Carter, p. 51; fall, 1978, review of Kids' Letters to President Carter, p. 62; September, 1995, review of The Letterman Wit, p. 32.
Library Journal, September 1, 1966, review of Presidential Wit, from Washington to Johnson, p. 3935, review of Dear Internal Revenue, p. 3948, review of What to Name Your Jewish Baby, p. 3948; April 15, 1967, review of Washington Wits, p. 1623; July, 1967, review of Letters to the Editor, p. 2573; December 1, 1967, review of Washington, p. 4409; February 15, 1968, review of Prescription: Laughter, p. 752; February 1, 1969, review of Israel, p. 563; March 1, 1970, review of The Wall Street Reader, p. 892; September 15, 1970, review of Flying Saucers Have Arrived, p. 3084; March 1, 1971, review of The Wall Street Reader, p. 795; April 15, 1978, Ruth C. Mitchell, review of Kids' Letters to President Carter; February 1, 1982, review of The I [Love] New York Diet Book, p. 267; September 15, 1985, Lucy Heckman, review of Chance of a Lifetime, p. 77; April 1, 1990, review of The Cosby Wit: His Life and Humor, p. 156; January, 1998, William D. Pederson, review of The Reagan Wit: The Humor of the American President, p. 121; September 1, 1999, Elizabeth Mary Mellett, review of Diana: A Portrait in Her Own Words, p. 202; November 15, 2002, Richard Nowicki, review of World War II Letters, p. 84; November 1, 2003, Michael A. Genovese, review of The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK, p. 96.
Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1984, Cindy Lieberman, review of The Revenge of the Robins Family, p. 14; October 20, 1985, Allan Cox, review of Chance of a Lifetime, p. 9.
Los Angeles Times Book Review, December 9, 1984, Cindy Lieberman, review of The Revenge of the Robins Family; October 20, 1985, Allan Cox, review of Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime.
New York, February 20, 1984, Mona Shangold, review of The I [Love] New York Fitness Book, p. 61.
New York Times, May 21, 1982, Edwin McDowell, review of Inside Publishing, p. 23.
New York Times Book Review, July 10, 1966, review of Dear 007, p. 42; September 2, 1984, Joanne Kaufman, review of The Revenge of the Robins Family, p. 14.
Penthouse, November, 1984, Marilyn Stasio, review of Who Killed the Robins Family?: And Where, and When, and How, and Why, Did They Die?, p. 66.
People, April 26, 1982, review of Kids' Letters to President Reagan, p. 14; May 19, 1997, Chuck Arnold, interview with Adler, p. 210.
Philadelphia Magazine, April, 1984, Judith Hodgson, review of Who Killed the Robins Family?, p. 99.
Playboy, August, 1986, review of Baseball Wit, p. 24.
Publishers Weekly, June 27, 1966, review of Dear Internal Revenue, p. 98; July 18, 1966, review of Letters to Batman, p. 81; January 16, 1967, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 82; May 1, 1967, review of More Letters from Camp, p. 59; June 12, 1967, review of Letters to the Editor, p. 56; October 23, 1967, review of Astronaut Exercise Book, p. 54; November 13, 1967, review of Washington: A Reader, p. 72; January 22, 1968, review of Prescription: Laughter, p. 271, review of Best Campus Humor of the Swinging Sixties, p. 275; November 11, 1968, review of Israel, p. 46; July 30, 1973, review of Sex Education Letters, p. 71; August 12, 1974, review of Dear Marriage Counselor, p. 61; October 6, 1975, review of Woody Allen, p. 88; November 22, 1976, review of World's Worst Riddles and Jokes, p. 52; September 12, 1980, Genevieve Stuttaford, review of The Kennedy Children, p. 63; December 18, 1981, Sybil Steinberg, review of The I [Love] New York Diet, p. 267; February 26, 1982, review of All in the First Family, p. 136; November 19, 1982, review of The I [Love] America Diet, p. 70; January 21, 1983; June 22, 1984, review of The Revenge of the Robins Family, p. 89; June 21, 1985, review of Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime, p. 86; October 3, 1986, review of Murder at the Super Bowl, p. 100; January 9, 1987, Sybil Steinberg, review of Murder in Los Angeles, p. 84; March 20, 1987, Sybil Steinberg, review of The Picture-Perfect Murders, p. 70; September 28, 1990, Sybil Steinberg, review of A Body Is Found, p. 88; June 7, 1991, review of Murder Game: There's a $10,000 Reward for Solving the Murder; It Could Be Yours!, p. 59; March 28, 1994, review of The Letterman Wit, p. 76; September 10, 2001, "Pottermania," p. 95.
Saturday Evening Post, January, 2003, review of America's First Ladies, p. 44.
Saturday Review, April 29, 1967, Orville Prescott, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 35.
School Library Journal, January, 1975, review of The Illustrated Book of World Records, p. 51; April, 1976, review of Firsts, Fact and Feats, p. 68; March, 1977, review of World's Worst Riddles and Jokes, p. 139; September, 1978, Marilyn H. Lilja, review of A Quiz Book, p. 101; October, 1978, review of Sports Question and Answer Book, p. 140; September 1, 1999, Elizabeth Mary Mellett, review of Diana, p. 202; November, 2001, Timothy Capehart, review of Kids Letters to Harry Potter, p. 166.
Time, February 4, 1966, review of The Stevenson Wit.
Travel-Holiday, November, 1967, review of Letters from Vietnam, p. 100.
Village Voice Literary Supplement, July, 1988.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2004, Florence H. Munat, review of The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Portrait in Her Own Words, p. 324.
Wall Street Journal, July 30, 1985, review of Bill Adler's Chance of a Lifetime, p. 28; April 25, 1986, review of Baseball Wit, p. 24.
Washington Monthly, November, 1985, Sam Donaldson, review of Ronnie and Nancy: A Very Special Love Story, p. 57.
Washington Post, January 28, 1983, review of The I [Love] America Diet, p. D5; August 30, 1983, Carolyn Banks, review of Who Killed the Robins Family?, p. B10; September 28, 1985, Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld, review of Ronnie and Nancy, p. G7.
Washington Post Book World, September 5, 1982, Michele Slung, review of Inside Publishing.
West Coast Review of Books, July, 1982, review of Inside Publishing, p. 40.
Wilson Library Bulletin, March, 1971, review of Speaker's Complete Library of Wit and Humor, p. 689.
WomenSports, August, 1983, Margaret Rose, review of The I [Love] New York Fitness Book, p. 57.