Up Till Now: The Autobiography

With an acting career spanning more than five decades, Shatner has enjoyed a variety of roles and opportunities—most nearly eclipsed by his roles as Capt. James T. Kirk and T.J. Hooker. But as Shatner tells it, he's had a grand time with it all. Despite chronologically jumping about, he manages to reveal the more striking moments and interesting roles in his life and career. While he does touch upon more dramatic issues (including marriage troubles, tensions among the Star Trek cast and the alcoholism and accidental death of his third wife), they seem particularly truncated in the abridgment. Listeners will enjoy Shatner's quirky speaking pattern, which he graciously mocks almost as much as his unapologetic attempts to be a sellout. At other times, Shatner almost whispers into the microphone, creating an intimate connection between himself and the listener. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 3). (May)