Like British novelists? Here's a documentary giveaway just for you

Athena recently released "In Their Own Words," a BBC-produced documentary featuring archive footage of some of the world's most notable novelists and philosophers.

Acorn Media was kind enough to provide me with the two-disc set of DVDs for review. I would like to pass them along to an interested reader. Just email me with your mailing address at mkaras@pottsmerc.com if you'd like to "win" this set.

Win it:

"In their Own Words" (Acorn Media, U.S. release on DVD March 2012, DVD 2-Vol. Boxed Set — 6 episodes — Approx. 351 min. — Documentary — SDH subtitles, $49.99) features rare footage of J. R.R. Tolkien, Sigmund Freud, George Orwell, Jane Goodall, Salman Rushdie, Evelyn Waugh, Ian Fleming, Margaret Mead, and the only surviving voice recording of Virginia Woolf.
 
According to press information released by Acorn Media, the U.K.'s The Guardian called it “Amazing archive footage” and The Sunday Times deemed the documentary “Riveting.” The programs were produced in 2010-11 but have yet to air in the U.S.

"This remarkable set gathers archival footage from BBC interviews, documentaries and films – much of it available for the first time since its original airing – with two programs: British Novelists and Great Thinkers," states the press release.

Because the documentary features footage of famous British novelists, and I happen to be a fan of many famous British novelists, I expected it to be riveting film ( just as The Sunday Times described it). Instead I found it to have brief interesting bits, such as the recording of Virginia Woolf, and many ... less interesting ... segments. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in at the time, but I found this set to be really, really boring. Sleep inducing, really. The great thinkers part was even more yawn-inspiring than the novelist interviews. 

I wanted to like it, really I did. Perhaps you'll enjoy it more.

Learn more at AthenaLearning.com 

About the boxed set:

With rarities such as J.R.R. Tolkien reading in his invented Elvish language, disquieting footage of participants in Stanley Milgram's experiments in the human capacity for cruelty, and Jane Goodall discovering behavioral links between humans and chimpanzees, In Their Own Words serves as a real-life compilation of historic moments. As an overview of the social and political forces of the 20th century, it's beyond compare as compelling viewing and an exceptional glimpse of the geniuses who have shaped the modern world.

Featured in British Novelists: Virginia Woolf, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ian Fleming, John le Carre, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Graham Greene, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis, Evelyn Waugh, Doris Lessing, and Fay Weldon, among others.

Featured in Great Thinkers: Sigmund Freud, Bertrand Russell, John Maynard Keynes, Margaret Mead, Susan Sontag, Jane Goodall, and Edward Said, among others.
About Athena:

Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. 2011 Athena releases included: The Making of the President: The 1960s, Discovering Hamlet, The Battle for Marjah, Joseph Campbell: Mythos III, and Art of the Western World. Early 2012 releases include Bill Moyers: Capital Crimes, Battlefield Detectives, and The Windsors: From George to Kate. Clips are available at AthenaLearning.com. Athena's DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn at (888) 870-8047 or AcornOnline.com.