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  • Published: 3 July 2014
  • ISBN: 9780753550915
  • Imprint: Virgin Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 21 hr 17 min
  • Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
  • RRP: $24.99

Jim Henson

The Biography




The most comprehensive biography ever written of Muppets creator Jim Henson, compiled with unprecedented access to his personal archives and with the full cooperation of the Henson family

Innovator. Genius. Legend.

Jim Henson was a talent like no other. The iconic characters he created – Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird – made Jim Henson a household name. But they were just a part of his remarkable story.

Now, in this extraordinary biography, written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family, Jim’s life is given full rein: his vibrant imagination, winning sense of humour, and infectious enthusiasm. For the very first time, the Henson archive has been opened to an independent biographer, giving Brian Jay Jones unprecedented access to private papers. Drawing on this treasure trove of material, as well as exclusive interviews with Henson’s family, friends and closest collaborators, this is quite simply the most comprehensive book ever written about a man who is a hero to millions.

Read all about the evolution of the Muppets, Henson’s contributions to Sesame Street and his lengthy campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television, as well as Henson’s non-Muppets projects – the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and fascinating misfires like Henson’s dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub.

Jim may be gone, but he and his legacy are not forgotten. In Jim Henson, we have the ultimate celebration and examination of an unforgettable, irreplaceable, incomparable man.

  • Published: 3 July 2014
  • ISBN: 9780753550915
  • Imprint: Virgin Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 21 hr 17 min
  • Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
  • RRP: $24.99

About the author

Brian Jay Jones

Brian Jay Jones is an award-winning writer and biographer and presently serves as vice president of Biographers International Organization, the world's largest organization of practicing biographers. Brian is a devoted member of the Jim Henson generation, having been two years old when Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and nine when The Muppet Show debuted in 1976. A former policy analyst and advisor in the U.S. Senate, Brian abandoned politics for the pen in 2008, with the publication of his award-winning biography of Washington Irving.

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Praise for Jim Henson

I worked with Jim for over thirty years. He was one of my closest friends. And yet I found out things about him in Jim Henson that were new to me. Brian Jay Jones has captured the layers of Jim's genius and humanity as well as the flaws that made Jim, like all of us, so delightfully imperfect. Jim needed this book to be written. I thank Brian for giving Jim life again. This book has captured the spirit of Jim Henson.

Frank Oz

I'm a rabid Jim Henson fan - his brilliant ideas spawned shows that entertained and educated millions, myself included. Jim Henson vibrantly delves into the magnificent man and his Muppet methods: it's an absolute must read!

Neil Patrick Harris

A thoroughly compelling read. . . . With verve and insight, Jones illuminates the full scope of Henson’s genius, phenomenal productivity, complex private life, zeal to do good, and astronomical influence.

Booklist

Every Muppet Fan has wondered who was behind the wide-mouthed, bug-eyed furry creatures. Before now all we had was a credit line: Jim Henson. Now with Brian Jay Jones’s riveting Jim Henson we have a nuanced portrait of the puppeteer—part genius inspired by his Mississippi Delta roots and his Christian Science faith, part flawed human with tastes too rich in everything from his art and cars to his women—that brings new understanding of and empathy for an icon of American popular culture.

Larry Tye, author of Satchel and Superman

Jones’ meticulous attention to detail pays off. This isn’t just a book for movie buffs and puppeteers: anyone who’s been touched by the work of Jim Henson will find this book an engrossing and rewarding read

Entertainment Focus