John Holmes, a Life Measured in Inches Paperback – Illustrated, August 8, 2008

I really enjoyed this book. The Holmes history of getting into the business, how the whole industry evolved and then his demise as one of the pioneers of moving on from the "glamorous" drug of powder cocaine to the seedy life of becoming a free-basing cocaine freak, the people he was involved with while supporting his habit and eventually the murders in one of LA's most gruesome crimes. I found the end of the book very disturbing for me when Holmes knowingly participated in several porn movies while knowing he was HIV positive and most likely already AIDS defined. What makes this even more disturbing not only the fact he exposed others to HIV but also how almost every person in this book portrays Holmes as someone very caring, sensitive, and would never hurt anyone, unprotected sex while knowingly being HIV positive, somehow i don't get caring and sensitive from that. I also found besides Holmes and maybe even more so then Holmes himself the most interesting person in the book was his wife, Sharon Holmes. What a dirt-bag she was, 19 plus years of marriage standing by her man while he drugged, diseased, robbed, conspired, lied, cheated, set up people to die,had sex with men, relationships with teenage girls and Sharon supported her man through it all!

The depth and volume of information is quite hefty; the sources varied and balanced. A warehouse of facts, opinions, accounts, reflections, and fables; pieced together in an attempt to tell the tale of a troubled and complicated life. Do we ever learn who the real John Holmes was? Are we ever sure of the true story? Probably not; and, one questions if Holmes knew the answers himself. What the authors have achieved in this book is a depiction of the many roles John Holmes played out over the course of his life. Hero or villain, colorful character or pathetic loser, nice guy or monster; he portrayed a different persona to each individual who crossed his path and we read of the John Holmes each of them knew; an enigmatic life told from many perspectives.About the only complaint I would lodge with the book is the need for a professional editor's touch. There are passages that could have been better organized, expanded upon, or cut down for sharper focus; some unnecessary repetition; a need for an annotated bibliography, to differentiate between first person interviews and information pulled from outside sources. All relatively minor issues, which didn't distract from my overall enjoyment; simply, a final touch or polish was needed.As for the formatting issue, cited by other reviews; I downloaded my copy to the Kindle app for IPad and found the font/quality to be acceptable. Yes, it wasn't quite up to par with most of the ebooks I've read and I could see how others might find the formatting problematic. However, the issue was little more than a slight annoyance that was quickly overlooked as I continued to read.A fascinating read and the closest we will likely come to a definitive review of Holmes' life.

I liked that the book was an actual true story based in the 60's,70's and 80's

As a middle aged man, I think I speak for most men my age, we've all heard of John Holmes. We all know--and maybe envied--him. His tragic life was nothing of envy. The book was interesting, but the manner in which it is written makes it hard (no pun intended) to follow. The author skips around in using interviews that contradict many of the points she may have been trying to make. Still interesting but had it been written in a narrative form, I would have ranked higher. Still a tragic life.

I purchased this book to learn more about the Wonderland murders and was sadly dissatisfied. It was written mainly in an interview fashion with the author not really giving the illusion of a story as is the case in most books.I found this man's life extremely unsettling. He was spoken about in near a legendary fashion yet seems to be a demented paedophile with no redeeming qualities.He escaped from reality into the world of pornography and sought solace in the arms of his wife until the end of their marriage, whenever he felt like it. He doesn't seem to have any feelings for anyone except himself and I find it difficult to understand the vaulted position he maintained, when his claim to fame was an abnormally large penis.His life benefitted noone but himself, given the number of movies he starred in.To continue to have intercourse even after contracting HIV, in my eyes, makes him less than human.Unsettling is the nicest thing I can possibly say about this man

John Holmes was my idol as a youngster, yeah I was into porn when I shouldn't have been. You get to know him outside of the bedroom, living room or wherever he is performing. He was just a normal guy that got caught up in all of the wrong things as so many performers do. I feel like I know him a little better.

I purchased this book for my Kindle. Unlike the other 35 Kindle books I have purchased through Amazon, it did not adapt to the format. It appears in very small print, like it was photo copied directly from the book in very small font. Unfortunately, when you increase font size on the Kindle, the print doesn't change. I would not purchase it for a kindle, as it is unreadable in the format delivered. I have been unable to get anyone from Amazon to respond to issue. Not sure if book is good or not, as I can't read it, even with a magnifying glass. I would not purchase for a Kindle. Maybe a hard copy version is best bet. Don't wast your money on Kindle purchase.

I'm an avid reader,and the 500+ pages flew by.

A+++

A very interesting insight into a complicated character. The book showed his power and vulnerability which ultimately cost john his life. It's a book that is honestly hard to look away from and i enjoyed every moment!!

John had to measure at the very least 11.5 inches but is more likely to be a lot nearer a thick 13 inches as I am a master of assessing dimensions from a lifetime of surveying ,take my word for it not to be short handed pardon my pun.There have been 2-3 with more assets than John but imagine if Viagra was around in his day ,he would've had some poor actresses eye out so it's just as well.

for a book I thought would be a good laugh, i really struggled to get through it...basically it was a pretty dull read and the man himself was a loser except for his massive c%$ which allowed him to gain notoriety..