Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat

In this biography introducing comic genius Keaton (1895-1966) to a new generation, a New York-based fan traces Keaton's career from his vaudeville days to fame as the actor-director of such silent classics as The General (1926). McPherson, who watched some 60 of Keaton's films as part of his research, also discusses the star's personal ups and downs but not much about his legacy. The book, whose title refers to Keaton's signature porkpie hat, includes photos and reference material. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The New York Times - Jacob Heilbrunn

McPherson reveals the secret behind Keaton's flattened porkpie hat as well as the extent to which Keaton's love for mechanical tricks dated back to his childhood, when, among other things, he invented a collapsing outhouse. He captures Keaton's antic, madcap energy, in which ''the human body -- the permutations of the sinews, the shock of the limbs -- seems infinitely elastic, an unruly instrument to be wielded with a cheeky kind of grace.''

Edward McPherson has contributed to The New York Times Style Magazine, The New York Observer, I.D. magazine, Esopus, and Talk. In preparation for writing this book, he immersed himself in more than 60 Keaton films, studying them intensely for a year and a half. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.