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

Written by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman

Narrated by Brian Baumgartner, Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels and 3 more

Join the entire Dunder Mifflin gang on a journey back to Scranton: here's the hilarious inside story of how a little show that barely survived its first season became the most watched series in the universe.

Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the cast and creators of The Office—the actors, writers, producers, directors, network execs, and crew, and read by Brian Baumgartner, Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, Bronson Pinchot, Marin Ireland, MacLeod Andrews, Brittany Pressley, Prentice Onayemi, Gabra Zackman, James Meunier, Alister Austin, Michael Crouch, Bryson Carr, James Fouhey, Graham Halstead, Gary Tiedemann, Curt Bonnem, Oliver Wyman, James Patrick Cronin, Joel Froomkin, Rainn Valdez, Patricia Santomasso, Laruen Fortgang, Stacey Glemboski, Andi Arndt, Amy Landon, Lisa Flanagan, and Robin Miles

“This book is full of the memories and stories of the cast and crew and how we all found our way to each other, from everyone’s point of view. ... It’s pretty great.” —GREG DANIELS

In this definitive oral history—including the voices of the actors, writers, producers, directors, network execs, and crew—Welcome to Dunder Mifflin pulls back the curtain as never before on all the absurdity, genius, love, passion, and dumb luck that went into creating the beloved show.

Featuring a foreword by Greg Daniels, who adapted the series for the U.S. and was its guiding creative force, and narrated by star Brian Baumgartner (aka “Kevin Malone”) and executive producer Ben Silverman, here at last is the indispensable Office book.

Includes original interviews with Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Greg Daniels, Ben Silverman, Mike Schur, Ricky Gervais, and many more.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063082229

Brian Baumgartner

Brian Baumgartner became a household name as one of Dunder Mifflin’s accountants “Kevin Malone” on NBC’s Emmy-winning TV series, The Office. Just like his fictional character, Brian is equally passionate about chili. Brian continues his partnership with BUSH’S® Beans as an official spokesperson for the company, who also takes chili seriously. Additionally, Brian was invited by the International Chili Society to be one of their World Championship Chili Cook-Off judges in 2021. Seriously Good Chili Cookbook is Brian’s first published cookbook that reflects his deep-rooted love for this classic comfort food, features his very own “Perfect Pot of Chili” recipe, and contains the world’s best chili recipes contributed by celebrity chefs, restaurant owners, industry leaders, and chili cook-off champions. Brian is also a New York Times best-selling author of his latest book, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin, as well as host of the hit podcasts, The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner and Off The Beat with Brian Baumgartner.

Reviews for Welcome to Dunder Mifflin

[Paul Bara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved to reexperience my beloved show The Office, this way!

[Erin Shumaker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really love the nuts and bolts of hearing how this well oiled machine came to life and thrived when so many things made it harder…that’s what she said!

[Bronwyn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic! I felt like I was listening to the cast reminiscing at a reunion. I found some of the narrators difficult to distinguish at times. In most cases, it didn't really matter if I knew whose remarks they were reading, but I felt Iike missed part of what they said because I was focusing on the voice.

[Elizabeth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think if I had read this rather than listened, I would have given it five stars. But the audiobook allowed me to realize the whole book is essentially just Baumgardner’s (free) podcast repackaged. There may have been some new info, but the large majority used the same interviews aired on The Office Deep Dive, often word-for-word with laughs, stutters and all. Additionally, the various narrators reading for the actors got hard to distinguish. By the end I could pick out Greg Daniels, Jenna Fischer and John Krazinski plus some others, but it always took me a second to realize, often using context clues from what they were saying. This made it a less-enjoyable listen.

Overall, I’m still rating it four stars because anything about The Office will get high marks, but if you’re able, I suggest checking out the podcast or reading the physical version of the book instead.

[jarratt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a must-have book for fans of The Office. That said, if you've listened to Brian Baumgartner's "Deep Dive" podcast, you'll see a lot of repetitiveness. Still, I'll enjoying opening it up and dipping into it again and again. That's what she said.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are a fan of the TV show, you will love this book. I am and I did. I relived a lot of my favourite moments, learned a few interesting things and gained a deeper understanding of why The Office was the cultural phenomenon it became. I'm seriously considering watching the entire series again.

[mstrust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This looks at everything that went on behind the cameras, from the negotiations to create an American version of the U.K. hit, to getting a little network interest, casting, the writer's room, and what was happening throughout each of the nine seasons of what has turned out to be one of the most popular shows ever made.Baumgartner played Kevin on the show while Silverman was a producer, so this book includes interviews with many of the people who worked on the show, along with the authors own memories and recollections. And there are some surprises, such as learning that their first two seasons were greenlighted in drips, with orders for one or two episodes at a time because the ratings were so bad. That producer/director Greg Daniels fought to have Dwight ride a horse over Niagara Falls in the Jim & Pam wedding episode, or that the season of James Spader playing Robert California wasn't a favorite with the cast. While this book doesn't explore everything that went on in nine seasons (no discussion at all of my favorite episode, "Threat Level Midnight", or of some long-time cast members) it comes close and features the thoughts of the main cast, producers and directors.

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was actually a unique look at the series, through the eyes of Brian Baumgartner (Kevin,) who talked with others involved with the US series, as well as those involved with the UK version.