Special Introduction By:  Ed McMahon

The Celebrity Almanac has been a long time in coming. It amazes me that no one has thought of this great idea before now. Sure there are a lot of celebrity career background books around; there are a lot of celebrity biographies and autobiographies available--but never before has there been a publication that gives the reader so much insight into the persona of so many celebrities at one time.

The Celebrity Almanac is extremely interesting reading because it not only includes information on show business personalities but also on high profile personalities in the arts, literature, sports, business and political fields. Imagine having celebrity birth dates, place of birth, first career break and most memorable career events and many other interesting details at your finger tips; and all of the data is confirmed by the celebrities themselves--"first-hand knowledge, not speculation".

I know actors like Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep will be flattered and surprised when they discover which celebrities indicated that they were their favorite actors. Also, President Abraham Lincoln would have been very pleased that so many important people of today regard him as their most respected historical figure.

You will be fascinated to learn which celebrities' real names are William John Bertanzetta, Joseph Abraham Gottlieb, Martin Ingerman, Vicent Damon Furnier, Beverly Fessenden, Jeanette Helen Morrison, Robert Emil Schmidt and Francis D. Hearn.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the interesting "Legacy Quotes" that each celebrity wrote, like "Be careful where you aim, dreams come true", "Success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome", or how about this lively one "When you live, live in clover, cause when you die, you'll be dead all over".

My hat is off to my good friend Ed Lewis who created the concept of the Celebrity Almanac. I know the many fans of celebrities will appreciate this intriguing book and, no doubt, so will executives and agents in the entertainment industry; and I am sure the celebrities themselves. I hope you will enjoy this fascinating and informative celebrity almanac as much as I have.