"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." - Groucho Marx
I've been on a reading frenzy lately and with so many good biographies and film books coming out I don't think I'll ever stop. It's so important for classic film enthusiasts to read and learn. It enriches the experience, develops the palate and informs the mind.
I've put together a list of new and upcoming classic film books. The publication dates range from September 2014 to March 2015 (specific on sale dates are subject to change). All title links lead you to the book's page on Goodreads. I've chosen a variety of books from big publishing houses to scholarly presses to small, indie and vanity publishers. This list contains biographies, reference guides, textbooks and more. Take a look through and maybe you'll find your next read.
edited by Randy Schmidt
Chicago Review Press
480 pages - September 2014
by Lesley L. Coffin
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
246 pages - September 2014
by Gene D Phillips
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
204 pages - September 2014
John Wayne's Way: Life Lessons from the Duke
by Douglas Brode
Globe Pequot Press
128 pages - October 2014
A Companion to Fritz Lang
edited by Joseph McElhaney
Wiley-Blackwell
500 pages - October 2014
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood
by William J. Mann
Harper
384 pages - October 2014
The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians
by James Roots
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
464 pages - October 2014
John Wayne's Way: Life Lessons from the Duke
by Douglas Brode
Globe Pequot Press
128 pages - October 2014
A Companion to Fritz Lang
edited by Joseph McElhaney
Wiley-Blackwell
500 pages - October 2014
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood
by William J. Mann
Harper
384 pages - October 2014
The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians
by James Roots
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
464 pages - October 2014
by Michael Slowick
Columbia University Press
400 pages - October 21st, 2014
by Peter Ackroyd
Nan A. Talese (Penguin Random House)
304 pages - On Sale October 28th, 2014
by John Kisch and Tony Nourmand
Reel Art Press
288 pages - On Sale October 30th, 2014
by William H. Mooney
Rutgers University Press
224 pages - On Sale November 3rd, 2014
by Marc Eliot
Dey Street Books
416 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014
Hope: Entertainer of the Century
by Richard Zoglin
Simon and Schuster
576 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014
Hope: Entertainer of the Century
by Richard Zoglin
Simon and Schuster
576 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014
by Arthur Laurents
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
192 pages - On Sale November 4th, 2014
by Ruth Barton
University Press of Kentucky
362 pages - On Sale November 5th, 2014
Early Poverty Row Studios
Images of America Series
by E. J. Stephens and Marc Wanamaker
Arcadia Publishing
128 pages - On Sale November 10th, 2014
Early Poverty Row Studios
Images of America Series
by E. J. Stephens and Marc Wanamaker
Arcadia Publishing
128 pages - On Sale November 10th, 2014
Anxiety Muted: American Film Music in a Suburban Age
by Stanley C. Pelkey and Anthony Bushard
Oxford University Press
320 pages - On Sale November 12th, 2014
Grace: A Biography
by Thilo Wydra
Skyhorse Publishing
340 pages - On Sale November 18th, 2014
Saul Bass: Anatomy of Film Design
by Jan Christopher Horak
University of Kentuck Press
492 pages - On Sale November 18th, 2014
edited by Anthony Slide
Columbia University Press
by Tim Snelson
Rutgers University Press
224 pages - On Sale November 26th, 2014
Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962
by Gene Blottner
McFarland & Co
277 pages - On Sale November 30th, 2014
Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962
by Gene Blottner
McFarland & Co
277 pages - On Sale November 30th, 2014
by James L Neibaur
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
228 pages - On Sale December 1st 2014
by Brent Phillips
University Press of Kentucky
368 pages - On Sale December 2nd, 2014
Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic
by Cecilia DeMille Presley and Mark A. Vieira
Foreword by Brett Ratner
Introduction by Martin Scorsese
416 pages - On Sale December 9th, 2014
Color and Empathy: Essays on Two Aspects of Film
by Christine Brinckmann
Amsterdam University Press
282 pages - On Sale December 15th, 2014
Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic
by Cecilia DeMille Presley and Mark A. Vieira
Foreword by Brett Ratner
Introduction by Martin Scorsese
416 pages - On Sale December 9th, 2014
Color and Empathy: Essays on Two Aspects of Film
by Christine Brinckmann
Amsterdam University Press
282 pages - On Sale December 15th, 2014
edited by Tom Hertweck
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
250 pages - On Sale December 16th, 2014
by Lea Jacobs
University of California Press
280 page - On Sale December 19th, 2014
Buster Keaton's Crew: The Team Behind His Silent Films
by Lisle Foote
McFarland & Co
300 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014
The Five Sedgwicks: Pioneer Entertainers of Vaudeville, Film and Television
by Michael Zmuda
McFarland & Co
277 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014
Buster Keaton's Crew: The Team Behind His Silent Films
by Lisle Foote
McFarland & Co
300 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014
The Five Sedgwicks: Pioneer Entertainers of Vaudeville, Film and Television
by Michael Zmuda
McFarland & Co
277 pages - On Sale December 31st, 2014
by Kristen Hatch
Rutgers University Press
208 pages - On Sale January 2015
Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical
by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo
University Press of Kentucky
640 pages - On Sale January 13th, 2015
Art Direction and Production Design
edited by Lucy Fischer
Rutgers University Press
272 pages - On Sale January 19th, 2015
Cinema Civil Rights: Regulation, Repression and Race in the Classic Hollywood Era
by Ellen C. Scott
Rutgers University Press
288 pages - On Sale January 28th, 2015
Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical
by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo
University Press of Kentucky
640 pages - On Sale January 13th, 2015
Art Direction and Production Design
edited by Lucy Fischer
Rutgers University Press
272 pages - On Sale January 19th, 2015
Cinema Civil Rights: Regulation, Repression and Race in the Classic Hollywood Era
by Ellen C. Scott
Rutgers University Press
288 pages - On Sale January 28th, 2015
A Filmgoer's Guid to In-Jokes, Obscure References and Sly Details
by Matthew Coniam
McFarland & Co
On Sale January 31st, 2015
by Michaelangelo Capua
McFarland & Co
On Sale January 31st, 2015
By Peggy Caravantes
Chicago Review Press
208 pages (juvenile) - On Sale February 1st, 2015
Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog
by James Grissom
Knopf (Penguin Random House)
416 pages - On Sale March 3rd, 2015
Hitchcock Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films
by Alain Kerzoncuf and Charles Barr
University Press of Kentucky
248 pages - On Sale March 6th, 2015
Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog
by James Grissom
Knopf (Penguin Random House)
416 pages - On Sale March 3rd, 2015
Hitchcock Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films
by Alain Kerzoncuf and Charles Barr
University Press of Kentucky
248 pages - On Sale March 6th, 2015
by William Wellman Jr.
Pantheon
608 pages - On Sale March 10th, 2015
Lois Weber in Early Hollywood
by Shelley Stamp
University of California Press
401 pages - On Sale March 13th, 2015
Hitchcock a la Carte
by Jan Olsson
Duke University Press
288 pages - On Sale March 20th, 2015
Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much
by Michael Wood
New Harvest
144 pages - On Sale March 24th, 2015
Lois Weber in Early Hollywood
by Shelley Stamp
University of California Press
401 pages - On Sale March 13th, 2015
Hitchcock a la Carte
by Jan Olsson
Duke University Press
288 pages - On Sale March 20th, 2015
Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much
by Michael Wood
New Harvest
144 pages - On Sale March 24th, 2015
alniuhgribvukwbgiengonvod!!! I can't even focus. I'm so fucking excited!!!!
ReplyDeleteVanessa - That was my reaction when I was building the list and it kept growing and growing and growing. So much awesomeness!
DeleteHoly smoke! That's a lot of books coming out! I see several I would love to pick up. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteDKoren - You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the list and found several new reads.
DeleteThanks so much for this wonderful list.
ReplyDeleteVienna - You are very welcome!
Deletewow, so many I want to get from here.. great work putting this together :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristina!
DeleteThanks for the mention, Raquel!
ReplyDeleteMatthew - You're welcome! It's a great idea for a book. I'm sure knowing the context of the jokes and references will enhance the Marx Bros. movies to viewers!
DeleteSo many titles but I'll have to snag that Wild Bill Wellman book.
ReplyDeleteMike - I have my eye on that one too.
DeleteWow! That's a long list!
ReplyDelete