Everybody in the know, that is.

For those still not hip to the world's most happenin' writer, here's a primer for ya:

15 essential pieces (five published here for the first time), chosen by the man himself, guaranteed to make you the coolest cat in the room.

50,000,000 BRIAN W. FAIRBANKS READERS CAN'T BE WRONG!

In WRITINGS, the author collects some of his finest essays and criticism spanning the years 1991-2005 and covering four subjects:

FILM

LITERATURE

MUSIC

SOCIETY

Whether offering an insightful analysis of film noir, examining Benjamin Franklin's impact on American society, taking a clear-eyed, non-partisan look at democrats, republicans, the 2004 presidential campaign, George W. Bush, and the war on terror, or lambasting the corruption of television news, Brian W. Fairbanks is “ingenious” with "a sophisticated yet effortlessly readable style."

Also available in hardcover.

Our diversity makes us unique. It also makes us strong. But from Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to Ronald Reagan and James Baldwin, those born and raised in the land of the free share some common traits.

Who exemplifies and who betrays America's promise?

The three controversial essays in REDISCOVERING AMERICA ("America and the Perfectibility of Man," "James Baldwin: Loving and Leaving America," and "The Pattern American") examine the character of the United States as expressed in the writings of Crevecoeur, Benjamin Franklin, James Baldwin and other significant American figures.

A history lesson as sophisticated as it is succinct.

NOTE: With the exception of the Foreword, the contents of this book are also available in Brian W. Fairbanks - Writings.

In the revised and expanded second edition of I SAW THAT MOVIE, TOO, he extracts the essence from several hundred films, and articulates some of the most meaningful opinions on the cinema you'll ever read. In the foreword, he also offers a perceptive analysis of the way that movies, and the way that audiences "see" movies, has changed from the time he was a young movie buff "obsessed by that light in the darkness" to the era of the multiplex and the DVD.

As one reader says, he has "a sophisticated yet effortlessly readable style." Smart, insightful, always honest, but never pretentious, Fairbanks is a life-long film buff who backs up his opinions with a knowledge of both the art and artifice of cinema.

"NUCLEAR MISSILES WILL LAUNCH THEMSELVES!"

"THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AS WE KNOW IT, WILL FALL ON JANUARY 1, 2000!"

ARE THE DOOMSAYERS RIGHT?

The doomsayers were wrong about the effect of the "millennium computer bug" on society, but Brian W. Fairbanks is right about the bigger bugs of big business, big government, the media, and religious extremists. Now, this underground classic, originally published in 1999, is back in a new edition.

UNCUT!

UNCENSORED!

It's as relevant and irreverent as it was in 1999. It's not about the bug.

IT'S ABOUT US.

AND THEM!

She was insistent: "I'm not staying with any of my children!"

Since she required more than mere shelter, moving in with one of her three sons wasn't practical, anyway. She needed a "babysitter," someone to check her bags when she got home to ensure she wasn't concealing a bottle of vodka in her purse; someone to make sure she took her medications and ate properly; in short, someone to keep vigil.

That turned out to be me.

Originated on the author's blog, "Vigils" is outrageously funny, heartbreakingly tragic, and true.

In WRITINGS, the author collects some of his finest essays and criticism spanning the years 1991-2005 and covering four subjects:

FILM

LITERATURE

MUSIC

SOCIETY

Whether offering an insightful analysis of film noir, examining Benjamin Franklin's impact on American society, taking a clear-eyed, non-partisan look at democrats, republicans, the 2004 presidential campaign, George W. Bush, and the war on terror, or lambasting the corruption of television news, Brian W. Fairbanks is “ingenious” with "a sophisticated yet effortlessly readable style."