Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office

When I first came across Brian Baumgartner’s book, I knew I had to read it. I’ve always been a big Office fan thanks to my son who was in college when the show premiered. Since then I’ve been known to not miss any showing of an episode on tv, which means I usually see one about every day. And, yes, I never see anything new because I’ve seen all of them. I’m even in that club that knows the episodes by their titles. So this book is for anyone who is a fan. If you aren’t a fan of The Office and/or you watched it but didn’t like it, it’s best to keep on moving on by. It just won’t be your cup of tea. I bought the Kindle version and checked the audio version out from our local library. I always read a book and listen to a book (almost always a different book) while I do my 30-minute daily walk. I chose to “read” almost all of “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin” by listening to the audio version. That was a mistake. In fact, I don’t even think this book should have been made into an audio book. I imagine Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverstein went to a lot of trouble to round up all of the quotes from interviews with the show’s characters from Brian’s podcast. The problem is none of the dialogue read on the audio version of the book is read by the actual characters from the show except for those by Brian and Ben. And most of the narrators (aka. actors) don’t sound a bit like the original characters. So, that means it’s hard to keep track of who is speaking. Occasionally, especially when a character is first introduced, another narrator will come on and say, “John Smith reading for Steve Carell.” That is very annoying and confusing. So I would recommend that if you are a big fan of The Office, buy the print or Kindle version of the book and pass on the audio. One other annoying thing about the book is the number of times the word “like” is used by the characters as in “Well, I’m like, ‘We better do that scene again,’ and “She’s like, ‘ I don’t get it.’ And then I’m like, ‘Well, I do.’” I suppose if you’re under the age of 40, you’re used to hearing “like” used as every other word in dialogue. And it might not read too badly, but if you’re listening to the audio version of the book, it’s really annoying. One last negative thing I found about the book was how planned, scripted, and un-spontaneous the show was. Being a “mockumentary” I always assumed The Office was very spontaneous, However, reading this book you hear that the writers and other production people analyzed and overanalyzed just about every aspect of the show and even did multiple (sometimes double digit multiples) takes of scenes. Even the famous proposal scene between Jim and Pan was this way. I guess I should be making this a positive thing since all of the scenes I’m talking about came off as looking typically spontaneous, and that spontaneity is what made The Office the great show it was. Well, that and Steve Carell. All in all, two big thumbs up for “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of ‘The Office.’”

This book made me laugh and cry...just like the show did and caused me to want to do yet another watch. I loved getting some of the behind the scenes looks and stories and the interviews from everyone involved in the show.

This book has everything and more you would want if you like The Office, it goes from the beginning in a nice pace and explains everything from the actors and crew with many nice behind the scenes stuff. You can really feel that this book is made for Office fans by its editing and colorful pages (the book itself is shaped like a ream of paper !) I wouldnt change a thing about this book and as already said I highly recommend it. If its a gift you can be sure the person who will get this will be very happy.

Seriously a must have for any office lover. You learn so much about the show and it’s great to have as a coffee table book. I love looking through this

The best time to read this book is right after you’ve binge–watched the entire series as then you’re primed to absorb and enjoy all the background material and personal recollections that this book provides. If you do that, you will probably have a 5-star appreciation of this book. But in my case, I watched The Office when it first aired and then again just a couple years ago when Netflix was streaming The Office. So for me, when the book referenced a specific episode, my initial recollection of that episode was occasionally a bit hazy. Basically, this book is especially for the super-fan who remembers most of the episodes as well as all the dramatic or touching scenes within those episodes. Regardless, all the show’s characters are beloved by most of us, and so it was fun to read the actors’ thoughts about the show, their characters and their fellow actors. A definite warmth and comradery pervaded the book. Bottom line: Watch the series, then read the book to understand just how special The Office was to the crew.

Gift for family member.

This book is a laugh-out-loud journey back to Scranton with the entire Dunder Mifflin gang! It's the ultimate behind-the-scenes account, packed with exclusive interviews, hilarious anecdotes, and the inside story on the making of this beloved TV show. Baumgartner, best known as Kevin Malone from the series, proves he's no oaf when it comes to compiling an engaging oral history. A must-read for all fans of The Office!

If you are an Office fan/fanatic, this book is a must. Great backstories and insights from producers, directors, and actors. Will enhance your viewing of the sitcom, even if you have watched every episode countless times, as I have. Thanks for the book, Kevin--I mean, Brian!

Alegre, historias reales bueno

Book came in exelent condition. Pretty quick shipping (it came before Christmans so it was a perfect gift).

Great book, bought it as a gift. First one I purchased was dented and damaged. Got replacement right away

The book as writing ain style of dialogs and that is very good, give us direct option from who said. As Brazilian fan, by reading this book, was very funny know things like the actor who played Toby was one the writers 😂😂. The book brings a lot of funny information.

Great book for American Office Fans. I bought this as a gift and they loved it. Constantly watching the office on repeat so felt very fitting. Positive feedback from them so overall great gift.