Mason Wiley (1955 - October 7, 1994)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Mason Wiley was coauthor of Inside Oscar with Damien Bona, and sometime contributor to Entertainment Weekly.

Mason Wiley, 39, author and freelance writer, died on October 7, 1994, at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan.

The cause was complications of AIDS, said his companion, Gilbert Cole.

Wiley had been seriously ill for about two years. With fellow Columbia University classmate Damien Bona, Wiley in 1986 wrote a year-by-year account of the fantasies and foibles of the Oscar presentations. The writing and research had taken them more than four years. Titled "Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards," the book -- published by Ballantine -- has sold tens of thousands of copies. A fourth, updated edition was published in 1993.

Mr. Wiley was also one of four authors of "The Official Preppy Handbook" (Workman Publishing).

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/obituaries/mason-wiley-writer-39.html

Further Readings:

Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards - Revised by Mason Wiley
Paperback: 923 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; Trade pbk. updated ed edition (October 12, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345347773
ISBN-13: 978-0345347770
Amazon: Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards

The New York Times "This is the book for your film reference library, not merely because it reveals where the bodies are buried, but also because it serves as a useful sociological and aesthetic guide to the Hollywood rat race over the past six decades." --Andrew Sarris