I was born in 1967 and became an avid Batman fan as a result of encountering reruns of the television show, back when I was too young to know it was a comedy. That led me to the comic books, in which I discovered the artwork of Neal Adams and the grim, gritty Batman of the early seventies (which, at least in part, eventually led to a career in illustrative design). So the pop art sixties Batman and "The Batman" in his darker incarnation always co-existed for me. Regardless, in my mind Adam West was the REAL Batman. This was confirmed when I actually shook his gloved hand at a Cleveland autorama in second grade.
I remember seeing West show up here and there on television while growing up, half the time as Batman or with other cast members. I was always kind of puzzled as to why he didn't have another show. Mr. Spock was hosting "In Search Of", and Capt. Kirk showed up on T.J. Hooker eventually. I remember seeing him in a few old movies or TV shows on Saturday afternoons.
This book tells the whole story, and as an adult, a few things strike me about it: 1) Adam West has had to deal with a lot of career disappointment in a life that probably seemed to have no limits at all at the height of the Batman craze, and that's rather painful to think about. 2) When I shook this man's hand, he was driven to wear his costume again by sheer economics and desperation for paying work. 3) Where many would have given up or drowned in self pity or humiliation, Adam West emerged as an appreciative and gracious man.
I suspect the book will be of little interest to those who are not fans of the Batman TV series, particularly because the author maintains some decorum and respect and dishes virtually no dirt. I found that refreshing. I gave the book four stars instead of five only because it seemed a little bit cursory.
As some have noted elsewhere, the book's epilogue about the Tim Burton film is somewhat regrettable. I can fully understand why West sees himself as the definitive Batman character, much in the same way Clayton Moore views himself as the true Lone Ranger. But he's wrong. Batman was a lot of things before Adam West, and he's been a lot of things since Adam West, and the TV show was just a sliver of the character's history (and a peculiar one at that). So while I agreed with West's assertion that a new Batman movie starring the old TV cast would have been interesting and possibly successful (particularly on television), there was nothing wrong in 1989 with a new approach that steered entirely clear of any connection to the comedic sixties incarnation. That said, Michael Keaton was a horrible Bruce Wayne.
It's been great in recent years to see Adam West embrace and capitalize on his pop icon status, and to see his humor and good natured self-deprecation on display. I find this almost heroic coming from a guy who reluctantly spent a couple of decades scratching out a living on the county fair and car show circuit. I personally think he's a brilliant comedian, a one-of-a-kind personality who could have accomplished nearly anything. It's nice to see him in demand and enjoying new popularity.