West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film by Laurent Bouzereau
Featuring never-before-seen unit photography, storyboards, costume and concept designs, and behind-the-scenes photos from Academy Award–winning director Steven Spielberg’s first musical, West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film is a loving chronicle of the years of effort that went into bringing a beloved story back to the screen for a new generation. Author Laurent Bouzereau was embedded with the film’s cast and crew and conducted original interviews with director and producer Steven Spielberg, screenwriter and executive producer Tony Kushner, Tony Award–winning choreographer Justin Peck, and the cast of Sharks and Jets, among many others, to bring together a firsthand oral history documenting every stage of the film’s production.
As relevant today as when it first debuted on Broadway, West Side Story has been reimagined by Spielberg, Kushner, and their cast of young stars, including Ansel Elgort (Tony), Rachel Zegler (María), Ariana DeBose (Anita), and David Alvarez (Bernardo), fully embracing historical accuracy in its vibrant depiction of mid-1950s New York City and the forbidden love of the teenagers caught between familial allegiances and passion. West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film provides exclusive in-depth commentary on these themes, bringing together a chorus of diverse voices to explore what it means to find a place for yourself in America.
Eye of the Taika: New Zealand Comedy and the Films of Taika Waititi by Matthew Bannister
Eye of the Taika: New Zealand Comedy and the Films of Taika Waititi is the first book-length study of comic film director and media celebrity Taika Waititi. Author Matthew Bannister analyses Waititi’s feature films and places his other works and performances-short films, TV series, advertisements, music videos, and media appearances-in the fabric of popular culture. The book’s thesis is that Waititi’s playful comic style draws on an ironic reading of NZ identity as Antipodean camp, a style which reflects NZ’s historic status as colonial underdog.
The first four chapters of Eye of the Taika explore Waititi’s early life and career, the history of New Zealand and its film industry, the history of local comedy and its undervaluation in favor of more “serious” art, and ethnicity in New Zealand comedy. Bannister then focuses on Waititi’s films, beginning with Eagle vs Shark (2007) and its place in “New Geek Cinema,” despite being an outsider even in this realm. Bannister uses Boy (2010) to address the “comedian comedy,” arguing that Waititi is a comedic entertainer before being a director. With What We Do in The Shadows (2014), Bannister explores Waititi’s use of the vampire as the archetypal immigrant struggling to fit into mainstream society, under the guise of a mockumentary. Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Bannister argues, is a family-friendly, rural-based romp that plays on and ironizes aspects of Aotearoa/New Zealand identity. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) launched Waititi into the Hollywood realm, while introducing a Polynesian perspective on Western superhero ideology. Finally, Bannister addresses Jojo Rabbit (2019) as an “anti-hate satire” and questions its quality versus its topicality and timeliness in Hollywood.
By viewing Waititi’s career and filmography as a series of pranks, Bannister identifies Waititi’s playful balance between dominant art worlds and emergent postcolonial innovations, New Zealand national identity and indigenous Aotearoan (and Jewish) roots, and masculinity and androgyny. Eye of the Taika is intended for film scholars and film lovers alike.
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by Mark Seal
The behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather, fifty years after the classic film’s original release.
The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told—sometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others for irresistible insights into how the movie whose success some initially doubted roared to glory.
On top of the usual complications of filmmaking, the creators of The Godfather had to contend with the real-life members of its subject matter: the Mob. During production of the movie, location permits were inexplicably revoked, author Mario Puzo got into a public brawl with an irate Frank Sinatra, producer Al Ruddy’s car was found riddled with bullets, men with “connections” vied to be in the cast, and some were given film roles.
As Seal notes, this is the tale of “a classic movie that revolutionized filmmaking, saved Paramount Pictures, minted a new generation of movie stars, made its struggling author Mario Puzo rich and famous, and sparked a war between two of the mightiest powers in America: the sharks of Hollywood and the highest echelons of the Mob.”
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is the lively and complete story of how a masterpiece was made, perfect for anyone who loves the movies.
You’ve Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life by Clark Collis
How did a low-budget British movie about Londoners battling zombies in a pub become a beloved global pop culture phenomenon?
You’ve Got Red on You details the previously untold story of 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, the hilarious, terrifying horror-comedy whose fan base continues to grow and grow. After consulting dozens of the people involved in the creation of the film, author Clark Collis reveals how a group of friends overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to make a movie that would take bites out of both the UK and the US box office before ascending to the status of bona fide comedy classic.
Featuring in-depth interviews with director Edgar Wright, producer Nira Park, and cast members Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, and Coldplay singer Chris Martin, the book also boasts a treasure trove of storyboards, rare behind-the-scenes photos, and commentary from famous fans of the movie, including filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth, Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero, and World War Z author Max Brooks.
As Pegg’s zombie-fighting hero Shaun would say, “How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”
Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide by Josiah Howard
Dazzling, highly stylized, excessively violent and brimming with sex, blaxploitation films enjoyed a brief but memorable period in motion picture history. Never before – and never since – have so many African American performers been featured in films, not in bit parts, but in name-above-the-title starring roles.
25 years after they first thrilled audiences the body of films known as blaxploitation are enjoying a renaissance. These pictures continue to captivate film fans, and the entire genre, with its bevy of colourful, utterly-contemporary film characters, irresistible soundtrack albums and catchy film titles, is taking its rightful place among the entertainment industry’s most enjoyed, and influential, movies.
Answering the call for a fresh and appreciative look back at a distinctly American motion picture phenomenon, Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide is the first truly comprehensive examination of the genre, its films, its trends and its far-reaching impact, covering every blaxploitation film in detail.
Includes a comprehensive introduction to the genre, interviews with ten renowned blaxploitation movie directors; a complete filmography of the blaxploitation golden age (1970-1980), more than 250 movie listings, which include cast and crew credits along with a full synopsis, and vintage and contemporary film reviews, critiques and commentary plus taglines, ratings, and extensive cross-referencing.
Bad Motherfucker: The Life and Movies of Samuel L. Jackson, the Coolest Man in Hollywood by Gavin Edwards
A fascinating exploration and celebration of the life and work of the coolest man in Hollywood, Samuel L. Jackson—from his star-making turns in the films of Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino to his ubiquitous roles in the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, not to mention the cult favorite Snakes on a Plane.
Samuel L. Jackson’s embodiment of cool isn’t just inspirational—it’s important. Bad Motherfucker lays out how his attitude intersects with his identity as a Black man, why being cool matters in the modern world, and how Jackson can guide us through the current cultural moment in which everyone is losing their cool. Edwards details Jackson’s fascinating personal history, from stuttering bookworm to gunrunning revolutionary to freebasing addict to A-list movie star.
Drawing on original reporting and interviews, the book explores not only the major events of Jackson’s life but also his obsessions: golf, kung fu movies, profanity. Bad Motherfucker features a delectable filmography of Jackson’s movies—140 and counting!—and also includes new movie posters for many of Jackson’s greatest roles, reimagined by dozens of gifted artists and designers. The book provides a must-read road map through the vast territory of his on-screen career and more: a vivid portrait of Samuel L. Jackson’s essential self, as well as practical instructions, by example, for how to live and work and be.
Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood by Leonard Maltin
Hollywood historian and film reviewer Leonard Maltin invites readers to pull up a chair and listen as he tells stories, many of them hilarious, of 50+ years interacting with legendary movie stars, writers, directors, producers, and cartoonists. Maltin grew up in the first decade of television, immersing himself in TV programs and accessing 1930s and ‘40s movies hitting the small screen. His fan letters to admired performers led to unexpected correspondences, then to interviews and publication of his own fan magazine.
Maltin’s career as a free-lance writer and New York Times-bestselling author as well as his 30-year run on Entertainment Tonight, gave him access to Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Shirley Temple, and Jimmy Stewart among hundreds of other Golden Age stars, his interviews cutting through the Hollywood veneer and revealing the human behind each legend. Starstruck also offers a fascinating glimpse inside the Disney empire, and Maltin’s tenure teaching USC’s popular film course reveals insights into moviemaking along with access to past, current, and future stars of film, such as George Lucas, Kevin Feige, Quentin Tarantino, and Guillermo del Toro.
Shooting Zodiac by Robert Graysmith
David Fincher was after the truth. Without it, he would not shoot Zodiac.
For nearly two decades, Hollywood had been trying to make a film of Zodiac, and for nearly two decades, it had failed.
In 2003, producer Brad Fischer, and screenwriter Jamie Vanderbilt attempted what no one in Hollywood had yet been able to do-turn Zodiac into a movie.
They set their sights on the one filmmaker they felt unequalled for the helm: director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club).
Fincher’s eye for detail, probing mind, and unrelenting quest for answers made him ideal. His personal connection to the case made him perfect.
He would need to see all the evidence and meet with all the people involved with the case that were still alive: witnesses, detectives, and victims. From Hollywood boardrooms to remote fog-shrouded crime scenes, they battle a huge script that refuses to be beaten, a case that refuses to be solved, and a running time and budget that threaten their film. Follow as they track down missing witnesses, gather the original investigators and visit the original crime scenes, discover boxes of Zodiac case files from an attic, unearth new clues, and a surviving victim who doesn’t want to be found. To keep Fincher on board, and get their film greenlit, it will take cold leads, private eyes, new evidence, and most of all, perseverance.
Rumble: The Art and Making of the Movie by Noela Hueso
Step into the ring and discover the story behind the making of Rumble.
In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, teenage Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming a coach and turning a loveable underdog monster into a champion. From Paramount Animation, Rumble is a larger-than-life animated coming of age comedy.
With ringside seats to the production, Rumble: The Art and Making of the Movie contains sketches, concept art, storyboards, and final stills. Featuring exclusive commentary from the creative team, plus a foreword written by Terry Crews, this extraordinary collection of art will give you captivating insights into the creative process.
These Fists Break Bricks: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World by Grady Hendrix & Chris Poggiali
When a major Hollywood studio released Five Fingers of Death to thrill-seeking Times Square moviegoers on March 21, 1973, only a handful of Black and Asian American audience members knew the difference between an Iron Fist and an Eagle’s Claw. That changed overnight as kung fu movies kicked off a craze that would earn millions at the box office, send TV ratings soaring, sell hundreds of thousands of video tapes, influence the birth of hip hop, reshape the style of action we see in movies today, and introduce America to some of the biggest non-white stars to ever hit motion picture screens.
This lavishly illustrated book tells the bone-blasting, spine-shattering story of how these films of fury ― spawned in anti-colonial protests on the streets of Hong Kong ― came to America and raised hell for 15 years before greed, infomercials, and racist fearmongering shut them down.
You’ll meet Japanese judo coaches battling American wrestlers in backwoods MMA bouts at county fairs, black teenagers with razor sharp kung fu skills heading to Hong Kong to star in movies shot super fast so they can make it back to the States in time to start 10th grade, and Puerto Rican karate coaches making their way in this world with nothing but their own two fists.
It’s about an 11-year-old boy who not only created the first fan edit but somehow turned it into a worldwide moneymaker, CIA agents secretly funding a karate movie, the New York Times fabricating a fear campaign about black “karate gangs” out to kill white people, the history of black martial arts in America (“Why does judo or karate suddenly get so ominous because black men study it?,” wondered Malcolm X), the death of Bruce Lee and the onslaught of imitators that followed, and how a fight that started in Japanese internment camps during World War II ended in a ninja movie some 40 years later.
It’s a battle for recognition and respect that started a long, long time ago and continues today in movies like The Matrix, Kill Bill, and Black Panther and here, for the first time, is the full uncensored story.
Warped and Faded: Weird Wednesday and the Birth of the American Genre Film Archive by Lars Nilsen
At the dawn of this century, a scrappy one-screen theater in Austin, Texas became ground zero for a revolution in film exhibition. That cinema, the Alamo Drafthouse, took the seemingly foolhardy step of offering free screenings of exploitation and horror movies that had quite literally been consigned to the scrap heap. The idea began in the sleep-deprived mind of its co-founder, Tim League, as he piloted a grotesquely overloaded rental truck home to Texas, with hundreds of otherwise unwanted film prints in the back, an expense he could ill-afford. Why not, he thought, offer a screening series at the theater that would allow everyone to discover these movies simultaneously, as they unfolded on screen in all their speckled, splicey glory? And why not make it free?
From that fevered notion, a legend was born: the series, Weird Wednesday, continues to this day. The film archive that was born from that initial axle-warping payload is now called the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) and it has preserved, restored and distributed hundreds of films that might otherwise have been thrown into an abandoned mine or pushed off a barge into international waters.
Profusely illustrated with poster art, advertising mats and rare stills from the films, Warped & Faded features contributions from Weird Wednesday Hall-of-Famer Gary Kent and genre champions Tim Lucas, Stephen Thrower, Pete Tombs, Maitland McDonagh, Kat Ellinger, Chris Poggiali, Robin Bougie, Mike Malloy, Bryan Connolly, Heidi Honeycutt, Rodney Perkins, Zack Carlson, Kier-La Janisse and more.
The Buckaroo Banzai Collectors’ Compendium: A Marketing and Promotional Odyssey by DeWayne Todd
If you’ve ever picked up a Buckaroo Banzai related item and wondered, “What is this thing anyway?” then this is the book for you! Providing a comprehensive look at the marketing and promotional materials from the 1984 film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, this book contains over three hundred full color images highlighting the wide range of materials from both domestic and international releases.
Referred to as the greatest cult film of all time, Buckaroo Banzai was written by Earl Mac Rauch and directed by W. D. Richter. The movie starred Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Billy Vera, Clancy Brown, Lewis Smith, Pepe Serna, and Laura Harrington. Considered a movie impossible to describe, this book features exclusive interviews with Billy Vera, Laura Harrington, Bruce McBroom, Radford Polinsky, and others. Unique and one-of-a-kind items are highlighted, making this the ultimate guide for Banzai enthusiasts. Posters, slides, lobby cards, and original artwork from the comic book series are featured with translations for international marketing materials. One international reviewer remarked, “Does this all seem a little crazy? Then you have everything wrong because this is completely insane!”
The 30 Rock Book: Inside the Iconic Show, from Blerg to EGOT by Mike Roe
The hilarious true story of the making of the cult classic hit show 30 Rock
It’s hard to remember a time when Tina Fey wasn’t a star, but back in the early 2000s, she was an SNL writer who was far from a household name. It’s even harder to remember when Fey’s sitcom 30 Rock was tanking, but it was—it premiered in the fall of 2006, and by November, the New York Times wrote that 30 Rock was “perilously close to a flop.”
But despite all expectations (including those of some of the cast and crew), Tina Fey’s eccentric buddy comedy lasted 138 episodes, spanning seven seasons. It resurrected the career of Alec Baldwin, survived an extended absence by Tracy Morgan, and permeated the culture— its breakneck pacing, oddball characters, and extremely rich joke writing are deeply beloved by millions of fans.
Through more than fifty original interviews with cast, crew, critics, and more, culture writer Mike Roe brings to life the history of the gloriously goofy show that became an all-time classic. The 30 Rock Book has everything in it, from tales of the amazing music still stuck in our heads, to the iconic bit characters that make the show, to all the love and drama of the backstage crew . . . and the creative failures and successes along the way. So grab your night cheese and muffin tops, cuddle up with your slanket against your Japanese body pillow, and settle in for the story of one of the funniest shows in television history.
Bond vs. Bond: Revised and Updated The Many Faces of 007 by Paul Simpson
Connery. Lazenby. Moore. Dalton. Brosnan. Craig.
Who is your favorite Bond? Whether you prefer Sean Connery to Roger Moore or Daniel Craig to Pierce Brosnan, you’ll find every incarnation of the debonair spy in this unofficial comprehensive guide. Revised and updated, this paperback edition of Bond vs. Bond includes the 2020 movie No Time to Die, along with speculation about the future of Bond, James Bond.
In Bond vs. Bond, author Paul Simpson delves into all the various ways Ian Fleming’s iconic British Secret Service agent—code name 007—has been interpreted through the years, from the books and movies to the guns and gadgets.
Discover the femme fatales who only appear in the movies but not the books; why Ian Fleming himself once described the Bond character as “ruthless and self-indulgent”; and much more. Loaded with interesting facts about the extraordinary history and continuing popularity of Bond, this is definitely a book that no fan should be without.
Midnight Mass: The Art of Horror by Abbie Bernstein
The official art book for the new Netflix/Intrepid Pictures horror TV series Midnight Mass, from creator Mike Flanagan.
A small town on an island experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. The cast includes Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Zach Gilford, and Hamish Linklater.
Midnight Mass: The Art of Horror is a large hardback illustrated book featuring visual and written materials covering all elements of Intrepid Pictures’ Midnight Mass limited series – debuting on Netflix in Fall 2021. This book is the perfect gift for any horror fan and will contain a slew of behind-the-scenes and background material, such as production art and set photos throughout. Readers will gain an insightful understanding of how the show was made with interviews of the cast, crew, executive producer Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan himself.
Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy are the minds behind The Haunting of Hill House, a successful horror TV series on Netflix. Their most recent film, Doctor Sleep, was the critically-acclaimed sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining.
Guillermo del Toro The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work by Ian Nathan
Guillermo del Toro is a complete and intimate study of the life and work of one of modern cinema’s most truly unique directors, whose distinct aesthetic and imagination are unmatched in contemporary film.
Widely regarded as one of the most imaginative directors working in cinema today, Guillermo del Toro has built up a body of work that has enthralled movie fans with its dark beauty and edge-of-the-seat set pieces.
In this book, acclaimed author Ian Nathan charts the progression of a career that has produced some of contemporary cinema’s most revered scenes and idiosyncratic characters. This detailed examination looks at how the strands of del Toro’s career have woven together to create one of modern cinema’s most ground-breaking bodies of work.
Delving deep into del Toro’s psyche, the book starts by examining his beginnings in Mexico, the creative but isolated child surrounded by ornate catholicism and monster magazines, filming stop motion battles between his toys on a Super-8 film camera.
It follows him to film school, where we learn of his influences, from Kafka to Bunuel, and explores his 1993 debut Cronos, the independent horror debut which draws on the religious and occult themes which would recur throughout del Toro’s work.
It goes on to cover his development as a director with 1997’s Mimic, his blockbuster success with the Hellboy films and goes on to study the films which have cemented his status as a legendary auteur, Oscar award winners Pan’s Labrynth and The Shape of Water, as well as his sci-fi masterpiece Pacific Rim, as well as looking at his exciting upcoming projects Nightmare Alley and Pinocchio.
An enlightening look into the mind of an auteur blessed with a singular creative vision, Guillermo del Toro analyses the processes, themes and narratives that have come to be recognised as distinctly del Toro, from practical effects to an obsession with folklore and paganism. It looks into the narrative techniques, stylistic flourishes and creative decisions which have made him a true master of modern cinema.
Presented in a slipcase with 8-page gatefold section, with scores of illuminating photographs of the director at work on set as well as iconic stills from his films and examples of his influences, this stunning package will delight all Guillermo del Toro devotees and movie lovers in general.
David Copperfield’s History of Magic by David Copperfield and Richard Wiseman
An illustrated, illuminating insight into the world of illusion from the world’s greatest and most successful magician, capturing its audacious and inventive practitioners, and showcasing the art form’s most famous artifacts housed at David Copperfield’s secret museum.
In this personal journey through a unique and remarkable performing art, David Copperfield profiles twenty-eight of the world’s most groundbreaking magicians. From the 16th-century magistrate who wrote the first book on conjuring to the roaring twenties and the man who fooled Houdini, to the woman who levitated, vanished, and caught bullets in her teeth, David Copperfield’s History of Magic takes you on a wild journey through the remarkable feats of the greatest magicians in history.
These magicians were all outsiders in their own way, many of them determined to use magic to escape the strictures of class and convention. But they all transformed popular culture, adapted to social change, discovered the inner workings of the human mind, embraced the latest technological and scientific discoveries, and took the art of magic to unprecedented heights.
The incredible stories are complimented by over 100 never-before-seen photographs of artifacts from Copperfield’s exclusive Museum of Magic, including a 16th-century manual on sleight of hand, Houdini’s straightjackets, handcuffs, and water torture chamber, Dante’s famous sawing-in-half apparatus, Alexander’s high-tech turban that allowed him to read people’s minds, and even some coins that may have magically passed through the hands of Abraham Lincoln.
By the end of the book, you’ll be sure to share Copperfield’s passion for the power of magic.
All in the Family: The Show that Changed Television by Jim Colucci
All in the Family creator Norman Lear takes fans behind the scenes of the groundbreaking sitcom on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
The face of television was changed forever in 1971 with the premiere of All in the Family. The working-class Bunker family of Queens, New York—lovable bigot Archie (Carroll O’Connor), his long-suffering “dingbat” wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), their liberal daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and son-in-law Mike “Meathead” Stivic (Rob Reiner)—instantly became, and half a century later still are, four of the most iconic characters in television.
In All in the Family: The Show that Changed Television, Norman Lear shares his take on fifty essential episodes that exemplify why the show remains as funny and relevant as ever. Its boundary-pushing approach to hot-button topics is examined with commentary from co-stars O’ Connor, Stapleton, Reiner, and Struthers, as well as writers, directors, and guest stars from the show.
With previously unseen notes from Lear, script pages, production designs, and a foreword by super-fan Jimmy Kimmel, this book is the ultimate companion to the seminal series and a must for fans of Lear’s shows and television comedy.
“Norman Lear,” said New Yorker critic Michael Arlen, “has a feel for what people want to see before they know they want to see it.” All in the Family, like all of the Lear shows that followed, was a turning point in television’s handling of taboo subjects such as race relations, feminism, homosexuality, war, religion, gun control, social inequity, and other controversial subjects, all of which remain in the news today.
Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley: The Rise and Fall of Stanton Carlisle by Gina McIntyre
Comprehensive and insightful, Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley: The Rise and Fall of Stanton Carlisle, is the ultimate companion to the master director’s latest work.
Inspired by William Lindsay Gresham’s cult 1947 novel, Nightmare Alley stars Bradley Cooper as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, a talented but troubled drifter who takes up with a traveling carnival. Ingratiating himself with its troupe of misfits, Stan swindles his way to fortune and fame, but when he meets psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), his greed and duplicity will put him on the path to self-destruction. Also starring Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, and Rooney Mara, Nightmare Alley is del Toro’s most ambitious film to date, an engrossing yet disturbing journey into the psyche of a tragic swindler whose own nature seals his fate.
This deluxe volume delves into the creation of all aspects of the film through extensive interviews with del Toro and his cast and crew, including writer Kim Morgan, with whom he collaborated closely on the script. This incisive commentary is illustrated with a broad range of striking visuals from the production—including concept art and unit photography—that illuminate the film’s two distinct worlds: the ramshackle life of the traveling carnival and the sophisticated art deco trappings of 1940s Buffalo, New York. Tracing the arc of a production that faced multiple challenges, not least of all the onset of a pandemic that threatened to derail shooting, del Toro and his team give deep insights into the complex psychology of the film’s protagonists and the process of bringing them to life on set.
The Art of Oz: Witches, Wizards, and Wonders Beyond the Yellow Brick Road by Gabriel Gale
In this must-have book for all fans of Oz big and small, artist and visionary Gabriel Gale brings to vivid life all the creatures from L. Frank Baum’s beloved series, from the iconic characters in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to many others that are visualized here for the first time.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the best-selling American children’s book of the twentieth century, and the classic 1939 movie of this quintessential American fairy tale left a permanent mark on the hearts and imaginations of devoted fans throughout the world. In The Art of Oz: Witches, Wizards, and Wonders Beyond the Yellow Brick Road artist and Oz archeologist Gabriel Gale brings to life all the creatures and inhabitants from L. Frank Baum’s beloved series, many illustrated here for the first time: wicked witches and their armies, mythical beasts, elemental fairies, robots, insects, one-legged and two-sided people, and many more sky, land, sea, and underground creatures. THE ART OF OZ also debuts the first-ever “Google Map” of the Land of Oz!
Gabriel Gale has mapped the country and animated all the creatures he found there. He has sketched Emerald City the buildings and habitats of the enchanted Land. Through spectacular illustrations, in original and precise style, Gale portrays each character in detail, often with attention to anatomy, structure, size and scale. Gale’s fantastical, vivid, and delightful renderings are also accompanied by excerpts and drawings from the fourteen books in Baum’s Oz series and the most famous inhabitants of Oz—Professor H.M. Woggle-Bug, T.E., Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Toto, Glinda the Good, and the Wizard—add context to this magical endeavor This is the perfect book for the whole family to share and for anyone entranced by the fantasy and everlasting magic of Oz.
The Unseen Photos of Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street by Trevor Crafts
The official companion book to the feature-length documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, featuring previously unpublished photographs from the first season of Sesame Street and interviews with cast and crew
The Unseen Photos of Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street expands on the film’s exploration of the origins and legacy of Sesame Street with exclusive interviews and previously unpublished photographs from the first season of the globally beloved children’s series. Author and filmmaker Trevor Crafts, who was given unprecedented access to archival footage and photography, presents more than 150 of photographer David Attie’s behind-the-scenes images of Jim Henson, Will Lee, Loretta Long, Bob McGrath, Frank Oz, Matt Robinson, Caroll Spinney, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, and dozens of other pioneering puppeteers, animators, actors, and Sesame Street Muppets. Crafts uses Attie’s remarkable photos and additional interviews from the film to dive deeper into the story of how show creator Joan Ganz Cooney, along with Sesame Workshop cofounder Lloyd Morrisett, director Jon Stone, and Muppet creator Jim Henson, took the values and goals of the civil rights movement and revolutionized children’s television.
The book is a tribute to the enduring achievements of an ingenious group of artists, educators, and television pioneers who believed that the values of equality, education, and inclusion should not just be championed but also made available to all—a dream that Sesame Street has carried forward for more than fifty years.
The Star Trek Book: New Edition by Paul J. Ruditis
Re-engage! The new edition of The Star Trek Book takes readers even further into one of the greatest science fiction universes ever created. This unique, insightful, and comprehensive examination of an enduring, much loved franchise features every era of Star Trek in one volume, from the pioneering 1960s TV series to the latest movies and streaming shows, including Star Trek: Beyond, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Short Trek.
Written by Star Trek experts, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics, and incisive, specially curated essays that unlock the mysteries of the ever-expanding Star Trek Universe. From new and legendary heroes such as James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and Michael Burnham to iconic villains like Khan, Q, and the Borg, to fascinating alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, and Ferengi, this book explores the central characters, technology, civilizations, and events that have shaped the complex, epic story of Star Trek.
Resistance is futile. This is the (star) trek of a lifetime you don’t want to miss!
Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition by Simon Beecroft and Pablo Hidalgo
The definitive guide to more than 275 heroes, villains, aliens, and droids of the Star Wars galaxy.
The latest edition of this beloved title has been comprehensively updated to include new characters from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and both seasons of Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
Want to learn more about the Knights of Ren? Curious as to where Padmé Amidala is from? Wonder how tall Grogu is?
To learn the answers to these questions and more, look no further than Star Wars: Character Encyclopedia Updated and Expanded Edition. Written by Star Wars experts, the book is full of fun facts and intriguing information that’s guaranteed to enthrall fans of all ages.
With plenty of lesser-known details, even die-hard fans will learn new facts about iconic characters.
Star Wars Battles that Changed the Galaxy by Cole Horton, Jason Fry, Amy Ratcliffe, & Chris Kempshall
Explore the “Wars” in Star Wars as never before!
Enter a galaxy ravaged by conflict and discover the complete story of the epic struggles that define the Star Wars movies. This ambitious book presents major galactic conflicts from an in-world “historical” perspective: each battle is depicted with captivating imagery, explored with newly commissioned maps, and explained through a detailed analysis of tactics, famous commanders, legendary warriors, key moments, and its impact on wider galactic history.
This is the perfect book for any Star Wars fan, budding military historian, or would-be rebel hero!
Star Wars Year By Year: New Edition by Kristin Baver, & Pablo Hidalgo
Discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Star Wars in this complete history of the most famous franchise in movie history.
Painstakingly researched and superbly illustrated, Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition presents a unique Star Wars timeline-the full history of the amazing Star Wars phenomenon as you’ve never seen it before.
This stunning visual journey features trivia and cultural cornerstones from director George Lucas’ early life through to the iconic movie stills, comic books, novels, toys, video games, and theme parks that have spawned from five decades of seminal film making.
Fully updated and expanded, this edition encompasses all nine episodes of the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies, along with the standalone movies Rogue One and Solo, and the acclaimed television series, The Mandalorian.
Produced in full collaboration with Lucasfilm and written by renowned Star Wars experts, Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, New Edition is ideal for Star Wars fanatics and newbies alike.
Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking by Charles Band & Adam Felber
Zombies, aliens, a little skin, lots of gore—and even more laughs—the cinematic universe of Charles Band is legendary. From the toilet-invading creatures of Ghoulies to the time-travelling bounty hunter in Trancers to the pandemic-crashed Corona Zombies, Band has spent four decades giving B-movie lovers exactly what they love. In Confessions of a Puppetmaster, this congenial master of Grindhouse cinema tells his own story, uncut.
Born into a family of artists, Band spent much of his childhood in Rome where his father worked in the film industry. Early visits to movie sets sealed young Charlie’s fate. By his twenties he had plunged into moviemaking himself and found his calling in exploitation movies—quick, low-budget efforts that exploit the zeitgeist and feed people’s desire for clever, low-brow entertainment. His films crossed genres, from vampire flicks to sci fi to erotic musical adaptations of fairy tales. As he came into his own as a director, he was the first to give starring roles to household names like Demi Moore, Helen Hunt, and Bill Maher.
Off set, Band’s life has been equally epic. Returning to his beloved Italy, he bought both Dino De Laurentiis’s movie studio and a medieval castle. After Romania’s oppressive communist regime fell, he circumvented the U.S. State Department to shoot films in Dracula’s homeland. He made—and then lost—a moviemaking fortune. A visionary, Band was also at the vanguard of the transition to home video and streaming, making and distributing direct-to-video movies long before the major studios caught on.
In this revealing tell-all, Band details the dizzying heights and catastrophic depths of his four decades in showbiz. A candid and engaging glimpse at Hollywood’s wild side, Confessions of a Puppetmaster is as entertaining as the movies that made this consummate schlockmeister famous.
Phases of the Moon: A Cultural History of the Werewolf Film by Craig Ian Mann
Horror monsters such as the vampire, the zombie and Frankenstein’s creature have long been the subjects of in-depth cultural studies, but the cinematic werewolf has often been considered little more than the ‘beast within’: a psychoanalytic analogue for the bestial side of man. This book, the first scholarly study of the werewolf in cinema, redresses the balance by exploring over 100 years of werewolf films, from The Werewolf (1913) to Wildling (2018) via The Wolf Man (1941), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), The Howling (1981) and WolfCop (2014).
Revealing the significance of she-wolves and wolf-men as evolving metaphors for the cultural fears and anxieties of their times, Phases of the Moon serves as a companion and a counterpoint to existing scholarship on the werewolf in popular culture, and illustrates how we can begin to understand one of our oldest mythical monsters as a rich and diverse cultural metaphor.
Examines the cultural significance of the werewolf film and provides the first academic monograph dedicated to developing a cultural understanding of the werewolf film; reconsiders the psychoanalytic paradigms that have dominated scholarly discussion of werewolves in pop culture; Includes over 40 individual case studies to illustrate how werewolf films can be understood as products of their cultural moment and Identifies the cinematic werewolf’s most common metaphorical dimensions
ReFocus: The Films of John Hughes Edited by Timothy Shary and Frances Smith
The films of John Hughes (1950–2009) have enjoyed popular and critical success alike, from his first scripts in the early 1980s through to his celebrated work later in the decade and into the 1990s. While Hughes is best remembered for his stories about teenagers, such as Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), almost all of his films deal with comical conflicts within everyday American families. He directed eight films and wrote over thirty in a career spanning a quarter of a century, and is fondly remembered for influencing American perceptions of – and appreciation for – the daily lives of (primarily) common citizens.
This wide-ranging collection examines the films of John Hughes from diverse angles, considering how he depicted young characters, how he revealed the humour of family life, and how his films subtly critiqued social issues such as class, race, gender, education and domestic relationships.
The Art of AMC’s The Walking Dead Universe by Matthew K. Manning and Brian Rood
Published by Skybound & produced by AMC Networks Publishing, discover the behind-the-scenes pre-production & production art for AMC’s The Walking Dead shows: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, all in one incredible collection! Includes never-before-seen original sketches, concept art, storyboards, previs art, set concept and engineering art, promotional concept to completion key art, special product illustrations, in-world product art, and much more. Also includes a brand-new wraparound cover featuring over 50 characters from across all the shows. Features an introduction by Chief Content Officer, Scott M. Gimple, as well as other compelling anecdotes and fun facts from The Walking Dead creators and crew. A must-have for anyone who has ever shouted, “We are the Walking Dead!”
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney
A work of unparalleled candor and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through 154 of his most meaningful songs.
From his early Liverpool days, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his long solo career, The Lyrics pairs the definitive texts of 154 Paul McCartney songs with first-person commentaries on his life and music. Spanning two alphabetically arranged volumes, these commentaries reveal how the songs came to be and the people who inspired them: his devoted parents, Mary and Jim; his songwriting partner, John Lennon; his “Golden Earth Girl,” Linda Eastman; his wife, Nancy McCartney; and even Queen Elizabeth, among many others. Here are the origins of “Let It Be,” “Lovely Rita,” “Yesterday,” and “Mull of Kintyre,” as well as McCartney’s literary influences, including Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Alan Durband, his high-school English teacher.
With images from McCartney’s personal archives―handwritten texts, paintings, and photographs, hundreds previously unseen―The Lyrics, spanning sixty-four years, becomes the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos by Michael Imperioli & Steve Schirripa
Expanding on their hit Talking Sopranos podcast with exclusive interviews for the book with the cast, crew, producers, writers, directors and creators, stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa deliver the definitive oral history of the landmark television series and streaming hit The Sopranos. Packed with untold stories from behind the scenes and on the set, they’re spilling all the secrets.
Who made the phone call that got HBO to launch The Sopranos? What’s the significance of all those eggs? And, what the hell ever happened to the Russian? Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, and the entire cast and crew of The Sopranos have all the answers—and they’re revealing where all the bodies are buried.
Inspired by the incredibly successful Talking Sopranos podcast, The Sopranos stars Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri) finally reveal all the Soprano family secrets in a surprising, funny, and honest new book. Woke Up This Morning is the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the groundbreaking HBO series that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon, ushered in a new Golden Age of Television, and to this day continues to be one of the most binged shows of all time.
Michael and Steve tell all the incredible stories that The Sopranos fans have been waiting to hear for over twenty years. The book covers the entire history of The Sopranos series from the original concept pitch and casting to the infamous cut to black—and answer many of the thousands of fan questions sent to the podcast, as well as dispel some widely propagated myths and reveal things no one outside the show would even know to ask.
Made In Hollywood: All Access with the Go-Go’s by Gina Schock
The Go-Go’s were the first all-female rock group in history to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and reach the top of the Billboard charts with their #1 album, Beauty and the Beat. Made In Hollywood is drummer Gina Schock’s personal account of the band, which includes a treasure trove of photographs and memorabilia collected over the course of her 40-year career.
The Go-Go’s debut album, Beauty and the Beat, rose to the top of the charts in 1981 and their hit songs “We Got the Beat”, “Our Lips Are Sealed”, “Vacation”, and “Head Over Heels” (to name a few) served as a soundtrack to our lives in the ‘80s.
Now, after the release of their Critics Choice Award-winning Showtime documentary, and in anticipation of their forthcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their 2021 West Coast shows, Gina takes fans behind the scenes for a rare look at her personal images documenting the band’s wild journey to the heights of fame and stardom. Featuring posters, photographs, Polaroids, and other memorabilia from her archives, Made In Hollywood also includes stories from each member of the Go-Go’s, along with other cultural luminaries like Kate Pierson, Jodie Foster, Dave Stewart, Martha Quinn, and Paul Reubens.
With a style as bold and distinctive as any Go-Go’s album, Made In Hollywood is the perfect tribute to one of the world’s most iconic groups.
Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by Daniel Levy & Eugene Levy
This beautifully produced, keepsake coffee-table book is the ultimate celebration of the series, the town, the characters, and the state of mind that is Schitt’s Creek. Capturing the essence and alchemy of all six seasons of what is now considered to be one of the most groundbreaking comedy television series of the last decade, Best Wishes, Warmest Regards is a gift to fans everywhere who have made the show their own.
Included are character profiles from the cast of Johnny, Moira, David, and Alexis, and all of the characters that populate the town, major moments from Moira’s endorsement of Herb Ertlinger Winery, to Patrick and David’s first kiss, to Cabaret and the Rose Family Christmas episode. Also included are special features, such as the complete, illustrated catalogs of David’s knits and Moira’s wigs, Moira’s vocabulary, Alexis’s adventures, and behind-the-scenes moments from Dan and Eugene Levy and the cast of Schitt’s Creek.
Supernatural: A History of Television’s Unearthly Road Trip by Erin Giannini
A captivating exploration of the television phenomenon that is Supernatural, with insights into characters, plots, and the show’s impact on pop culture.
When Supernatural first aired on the CW in 2005, it was dismissed by many for being “pretty guys fighting demons.” Yet Supernatural persisted for 15 seasons to become the anchor of the network’s line-up and the longest running genre series in US television history.
In Supernatural: A History of Television’s Unearthly Road Trip, Erin Giannini delves into the phenomenon of this cult series and its devoted fan base. Covering all 15 seasons, including the series finale that aired in 2020, this book examines the show’s predecessors, characters, major storylines, and fan activism. It also revisits creator Eric Kripke’s road to creating the series, draws surprising and revealing connections between the show and other series, and discusses the ways Supernatural responded to social and industry changes throughout its long run.
Supernatural was the little show that could for 15 years, persisting beyond its original network’s lifespan and surviving the departure of its creator and showrunner, in no small part due to its loyal fans. Inspired by shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and going on to influence many shows that followed, Supernatural offers insight into how a series can adapt and grow to become a mainstay of primetime television.
Mental Floss The Curious Viewer: A Miscellany of Bingeable Streaming TV Shows from the Past Twenty Years by Jennifer M. Wood
Need a new show to binge? Want to learn behind-the-scenes insights about your favorite series? Then Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer is for you!
From Mental Floss, the premier online destination for curious minds, comes a deep dive into the greatest television shows from the last 20 years. Filled with little-known facts and lists of must-see shows, this fascinating collection includes:
The hardest role to cast on Game of Thrones • The DEA’s involvement in Breaking Bad • The lost Black-ish episode deemed too divisive for TV • The real-life inspiration for Mad Men’s Don Draper • The identity of “Ugly Naked Guy” on Friends • When George Lucas sued Battlestar Galactica • How Curb Your Enthusiasm saved a man from the death penalty • When Doctor Who’s TARDIS went to court • The story behind Law & Order’s iconic “dun-dun” sound effect
Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer also contains many of Mental Floss’s famously fascinating lists, such as Actors Who Asked for Their Characters to Be Killed Off, The Most-Watched TV Series Finales Ever, TV Characters Who Were Inspired by Real People, Bizarre TV Crossovers, Amazing One-Season Shows, Important Moments in LGBTQ+ History on TV, and Unforgettable Television Cliff-Hangers.
Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman
Join the entire Dunder Mifflin gang on a journey back to Scranton: here’s the hilarious and improbable inside story behind the beloved series.
Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the cast and creators and illustrated with 100 behind-the-scenes photographs, here, at last, is the untold inside story of The Office, 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..
In Welcome to Dunder Mifflin, the entire Office gang reunite after nearly a decade to share their favorite untold stories, spill secrets, and reveal how a little show that barely survived its first season became the most watched series in the universe. This ultimate fan companion pulls back the curtain as never before on all the absurdity, genius, love, passion, and dumb luck that went into creating America’s beloved The Office.
Featuring the memories of Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Ben Silverman, Mike Schur, and many more.
Tech Noir: The Art of James Cameron by James Cameron
Explore the creative evolution of James Cameron through this exclusive journey into his personal art archives, showcasing a range of rare and never-before-seen works from the acclaimed director’s private collection.
James Cameron has blazed a trail through the cinematic landscape with a series of groundbreaking films that have each become deeply embedded in the popular imagination. But while Cameron has created and employed advanced filmmaking technologies to realize his unique vision, his process of creative ideation began with pen, pencil, and paints long before he picked up a camera.
Cameron displayed remarkable ability at an early age, filling sketchbooks with illustrations of alien creatures, faraway worlds, and technological wonders. As he grew older, his art became increasingly sophisticated, exploring major themes that would imbue his later work—from the threat of nuclear catastrophe to the dangers inherent in the development of artificial intelligence. Working in the film industry in his twenties, Cameron supported himself by illustrating theatrical posters and concept art for low-budget films before creating the visionary concept pieces that would help greenlight his first feature, The Terminator.
For the first time, Tech Noir brings together a dazzling and diverse array of personal and commercial art from Cameron’s own collection, showcasing the trajectory of ideas that led to such modern classics as The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar. Including everything from his earliest sketches through to unrealized projects and his acclaimed later work, this book features the filmmaker’s personal commentary on his creative and artistic evolution throughout the years.
A unique journey into the mind of a creative powerhouse, Tech Noir is the ultimate exploration of one of cinema’s most imaginative innovators.
Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History by James Mottram
Welcome to Jurassic Park! Discover the cinematic evolution of the Jurassic Park trilogy, with this deluxe book celebrating the saga’s massive impact on pop culture.
Director Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park unleashed an island of awe-inspiring dinosaurs, captivating audiences worldwide. Grossing over $900 million worldwide, the film ushered in a whole new age of digital visual effects and would go on to enthrall generations of moviegoers.
The most comprehensive book about the Jurassic Park trilogy to date, Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History begins with an in-depth account of the making of Spielberg’s original film, including rare and never-before-seen imagery and exclusive interviews with key creatives. Readers will then unearth the full history of the trilogy, from The Lost World: Jurassic Park to Jurassic Park III, through unprecedented access to the creative process behind the films. Fans will also find a fascinating look at the wider world of the saga, including video games, toys, comics, and more, exploring the lasting legacy of the movies and their influence on pop culture.
Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History will be the last word on the most epic saga in movie history—the definitive behind-the-scenes book that fans have been waiting for.
The Art and Soul of Dune by Tanya Lapointe
Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic Dune has been brought to life like never before in the breathtaking film adaptation from acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival). Now fans can be part of this creative journey with The Art and Soul of Dune, the official companion to the hugely anticipated movie event.
Written by Dune executive producer Tanya Lapointe, this visually dazzling exploration of the filmmaking process gives unparalleled insight into the project’s genesis—from its striking environmental and creature designs to its intricate costume concepts and landmark digital effects. The Art and Soul of Dune also features exclusive interviews with key members of the cast and crew, including Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and many more, delivering a uniquely candid account of the hugely ambitious international shoot.
Showcasing Villeneuve’s visionary approach to realizing Herbert’s science fiction classic, The Art and Soul of Dune is an essential companion to the director’s latest masterpiece.
Cut to the Monkey: A Hollywood Editor’s Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Making Hit Comedies by Roger Nygard
Cut to the Monkey is the story of a filmmaker’s journey through Hollywood—revealing the techniques behind how the experts find the funny in any project—by a filmmaker who has worked with some of the funniest people in the business and has edited Emmy-nominated episodes from series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, and Who Is America?
Nobody knows who first said, “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” But almost everyone in the film business agrees it’s true. Roger Nygard shares his anecdotal experiences in television, features, and documentaries as a filmmaker and editor—struggles and successes any filmmaker can identify with. Nygard also includes tips for Hollywood professionals and fans alike on how to successfully navigate the business of being funny.
Along with a major focus on film editing, the author shares filmmaking stories that will leave readers feeling inspired and better prepared to deal with their own struggles. The book also features contributions about writing, creating, and editing comedy from some of the biggest names in the comedy business, including Judd Apatow (Girls, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Barry), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Who Is America?), Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger, Black or White), Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep), David Mandel (Veep, The White House Plumbers), Jeff Schaffer (The League, Dave), Krista Vernoff (Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy), and others.
Planet of the Apes: The Complete History (FAQ) by Sean Egan
Planet of the Apes started life in 1963 as a quirky work by Pierre Boulle, the French literary novelist famous for The Bridge over the River Kwai. His concept of a world where humans are ruled over by apes proceeded to become one of the biggest multi-media sensations in history.
The 1968 Charlton Heston motion-picture adaptation of Boulle’s book was celebrated and successful but was just the beginning. By 1973, said picture had spawned four sequels. It then spun off a live-action TV series, which in turn spun off the animated TV show Return to the Planet of the Apes. With this, comic books, novelizations, and a tsunami of merchandising, the late ’60s and first half of the ’70s had a distinctly simian flavor. A new generation was introduced to the concept when, in 2001, Tim Burton’s updating of the series appeared in cinemas. This itself was rebooted a decade later in the form of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its two sequels. Yet despite all the fantasy (and money-chasing), the series has always been marked by thoughtfulness, exploring serious themes alien to most franchises.
Planet of the Apes: The Complete History explores every aspect of this phenomenon—from books to films, comic books to television shows, and video games to merchandise—providing an overview that is truly definitive. With the help of new and exclusive interviews with Planet of the Apes producers, directors, writers, actors, and makeup artists, Sean Egan attempts to gain an understanding of how a media property changed the world.
Tarantino: A Retrospective: Revised and Expanded Edition by Tom Shone
Celebrate more than three decades of filmmaking by diving into the brilliant, twisted mind of Quentin Tarantino, and discover the artistic process of an Oscar-winning legend.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1963, Quentin Tarantino spent many Saturday evenings during his childhood accompanying his mother to the movies, nourishing a love of film that was, over the course of his life, to become all-consuming. The script for his first movie took him four years to complete: My Best Friend’s Birthday (1987), a seventy-minute film in which he both acted and directed. The script for his second film, Reservoir Dogs (1992), took him just under four weeks to complete. When it debuted, he was immediately hailed as one of the most exciting new directors in the industry.
Known for his highly cinematic visual style, out-of-sequence storytelling, and grandiose violence, Tarantino’s films have provoked both praise and criticism over the course of his career. They’ve also won him a host of awards—including Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTA awards—usually for his original screenplays. His oeuvre includes the cult classic Pulp Fiction, bloody revenge saga Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and historical epics Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood.
Featuring an all-new chapter on the director’s latest award-winning film Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, this stunning retrospective catalogs each of Quentin Tarantino’s movies in fascinating detail. The book is a tribute to a unique directing and writing talent, celebrating an uncompromising, passionate director’s enthralling career at the heart of cult filmmaking.
Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life by J. W. Rinzler
A captivating exploration of the life, work, and insider insight of legendary film producer Howard Kazanjian
Howard Kazanjian, a film producer whose career spans 50 years, has collaborated with Hollywood legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, and worked on such classics as The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi. Complete with personal anecdotes from the front lines, and coupled with rare archival photographs, this full-length biography tells the story of Kazanjian’s rise in Hollywood and takes us behind the scenes of the producer’s role in some of the biggest blockbusters in film history.
The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema’s Most Influential Filmmakers by Sloan De Forest
From Turner Classic Movies, this is the essential guide to all the must-know detail on the style, achievements, and landmark films of the most influential directors in cinema history from the silent era through the 1970s.
For well over a century, those who create motion pictures have touched our hearts and souls; they have transported and transformed our minds, intoxicated and entranced our senses. One artist’s vision is the single most prominent force behind the scenes: the director. The Essential Directors illuminates the unseen forces behind some of the most notable screen triumphs from the aesthetic peak of silent cinema through the New Hollywood of the 1970s. Considering each artist’s influence on the medium, cultural impact, and degree of achievement, Turner Classic Movies presents a compendium of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, with profiles offering history and insight on the filmmaker’s narrative style, unique touches, contributions to the medium, key films, and distinctive movie moments to watch for. The work of these game-changing artists is illustrated throughout by more than 200 full-color and black-and-white photographs.
In The Essential Directors you’ll read how Cecil B. DeMille revamped religion to define an era, and how Oscar Micheaux broke barriers to become the most influential Black filmmaker of the 1920s. You’ll marvel at the efficient artistry of “One-Take Woody” Van Dyke and fall in love again with the sophisticated studio-era classics of George Cukor. You’ll gain insight into how women like Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino built thriving careers in an industry ruled by men and discover what drove Mike Nichols to mix comedy with tragedy, becoming the highest-paid director of his day in the the process. The Essential Directors presents the work of these game-changing artists and dozens more in this stunning volume.
Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love by Kevin Goetz
Audience-ology takes you to one of the most unknown places in Hollywood—a place where famous directors are reduced to tears and multi-millionaire actors to fits of rage. A place where dreams are made and fortunes are lost. This book is the chronicle of how real people have written and rewritten America’s cinematic masterpieces by showing up, watching a rough cut of a new film, and giving their unfettered opinions so that directors and studios can salvage their blunders, or better yet, turn their movies into all-time classics.
Each chapter informs an aspect or two of the test-screening process and then, through behind-the-scenes stories, illustrates how that particular aspect was carried out. Nicknamed “the doctor of audience-ology,” Kevin Goetz shares how he helped filmmakers and movie execs confront the misses and how he recommended ways to fix the blockbusters, as well as first-hand accounts from Ron Howard, Cameron Crowe, Ed Zwick, Renny Harlin, Jason Blum, and other Hollywood luminaries who brought you such films as La La Land, Chicago, Titanic, Wedding Crashers, Jaws, and Forrest Gump.
Audience-ology explores one of the most important (and most underrated) steps in the filmmaking process with enough humor, drama, and surprise to entertain those with only a spectator’s interest in film, offering us a new look at movie history.
The Annotated Godfather: 50th Anniversary Edition by Jenny M. Jones
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, this authorized, annotated and illustrated edition of the complete, unedited screenplay includes all the little-known facts, behind-the-scenes intrigue, and first-person reflections from cast and crew members on the making of this landmark film.
From its ingenious cinematic innovations and memorable, oft-quoted script to its iconic cast, including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, The Godfather is considered by many to be the greatest movie ever made. And yet, the history of its making is so colorful, so chaotic, that one cannot help but marvel at the seemingly insurmountable odds it overcame to become a true cinematic masterpiece, and a film that continues to captivate its audience decades after its release.
In this annotated and illustrated edition of the complete original screenplay, nearly every scene is examined and dissected, including fascinating commentary on technical details about the filming and shooting location; tales from the set, including arguments, accidents, and anecdotes,oofiles of the actors and stories of how they we,eleted scenes that never made the final cut, and the goofs and gaffes that did, and much more.
Interviews with former Paramount executives, cast and crew members, and and all-new foreword by Francis Ford Coppola, round out the commentary and shed new light on everything you thought you knew about this most influential film. With more than 200 photographs, this a truly unique, collectable keepsake for every Godfather fan.
Mental Floss: The Curious Reader: A Literary Miscellany of Novels & Novelists by Erin McCarthy
Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world’s most famous novels and novelists.
The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about George Orwell’s near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy; discover which famous author kept her husband’s heart after he passed away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from 20 years of Mental Floss, including “Cat-Loving Writers,” “Famous Authors’ Unfinished Manuscripts,” “Literary Characters Based on Real People,” and “Books You Didn’t Know Were Self-Published.”
This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of curated literary works—leading to an expansion of their library!
David Fincher: Mind Games by Adam Nayman
David Fincher: Mind Games is the definitive critical and visual survey of the Academy Award– and Golden Globe–nominated works of director David Fincher. From feature films Alien 3, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, and Mank through his MTV clips for Madonna and the Rolling Stones and the Netflix series House of Cards and Mindhunter, each chapter weaves production history with original critical analysis, as well as with behind the scenes photography, still-frames, and original illustrations from Little White Lies’ international team of artists and graphic designers. Mind Games also features interviews with Fincher’s frequent collaborators, including Jeff Cronenweth, Angus Wall, Laray Mayfield, Holt McCallany, Howard Shore and Erik Messerschmidt.
Grouping Fincher’s work around themes of procedure, imprisonment, paranoia, prestige and relationship dynamics, Mind Games is styled as an investigation into a filmmaker obsessed with investigation, and the design will shift to echo case files within a larger psychological profile.
Auto Erotica: A Grand Tour Through Classic Car Brochures of the 1960s to 1980s by Jonny Trunk
A car book like no other, Auto Erotica offers a nostalgic look at vintage cars through the literature, leaflets and pamphlets that sold them to us
Over the course of its 240 pages, Auto Erotica covers the gamut of motoring in Britain during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s through rare ephemeral booklets full of unusual graphic ideas and concepts. Their fabulous photography, dazzling color charts, daring typography, strange foldouts and inspiring styles symbolize the automobile aspirations of generations of Britons.
Assembled by nostalgia enthusiast Jonny Trunk―author of The Music Library and Own Label―the book is also packed full of era-defining classic cars, from those we love to those we can’t remember. Expect fast Fords, the XJS, the TR8, MGs, Minis, Maxis, Renaults, Beemers, VWs, Vivas, Citroëns, DeLoreans and a whole lot more: amazing motorcars from the past, and even some from the future, as you’ve never seen them before.
A Small Book of Jewish Comedians edited by Tony Nourmand
An unmissable gift book, A Small Book of Jewish Comedians is a perfect (please God) post-pandemic pick-me-up
In 1978, Time magazine estimated that around 80 percent of professional American comics were Jewish, and Jewish humor remains a foundation stone of American popular culture and humor. This book is not intended as a definitive tome but is instead a joyful and irreverent celebration of great photography and some of the greatest one-liners of the 20th century, ripe in satire, anecdote, self-deprecation and irony.
Featuring photographs of comedians such as Larry David, Fran Lebowitz, Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Lenny Bruce, Rita Rudner, Joan Rivers and George Burns, the book’s portraits are accompanied by one-liners such as: “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” (Groucho Marx); “When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick.” (George Burns); “It was a Jewish porno film … one minute of sex and nine minutes of guilt.” (Joan Rivers); “You know who wears sunglasses inside? Blind people and assholes.” (Larry David); “I am not the type who wants to go back to the land; I am the type who wants to go back to the hotel.” (Fran Lebowitz)
How to be Cool: The 150 Essential Idols, Ideals and Other Cool S*** by Thomas W Hodgkinson
Cool can’t be taught. Or can it?
That’s the received wisdom, yet the idea behind this sleek, entertaining compendium by Thomas W. Hodgkinson is that, on the contrary, anyone can increase their cool quotient by learning from the masters and the methods of the past.
As well as identifying the Nine Defining Qualities of Cool, the book takes you on a tour of the 75 ‘Idols’ (from William Blake to Kate Moss, via Marlon Brando and Lou Reed) and 50 ‘Ideas and Ideals’ (drugs, Buddhism, base jumping, irony, etc.) that have created and embodied those qualities. A slim final section, ‘The Real Deal’, presents the author’s own personal, often surprising selection of the 25 coolest things on the planet.
Uncoolness can be unlearnt, is the implication, but anyone aspiring to true cool must ultimately find it for themselves.
The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death & Gore by Peter Laws
The Frighteners follows the quest of Peter Laws, a Baptist minister with a penchant for the macabre, to understand why so many people love things that are spooky, morbid and downright repellent. He meets vampires, hunts werewolves in Hull, talks to a man who has slept on a mortuary slab to help him deal with a diagnosis, and is chased by a chainsaw-wielding maniac through a farmhouse full of hanging bodies.
Staring into the darkness of a Transylvanian night, he asks: What is it that makes millions of people seek to be disgusted and freaked out? And, in a world that worships rationality and points an accusing finger at violent video games and gruesome films, can an interest in horror culture actually give us safe ways to confront our mortality? Might it even have power to re-enchant our jaded world?
Grab your crucifixes, pack the silver bullets, and join the Sinister Minister on his romp into our morbid curiosities.
The Dictionary of 1980s Slang: Stranger than Fiction! The Totally Awesome Guide to Rockin’ ’80s Lingo by Rick Carlile
The 1980s: a decade of uplifting energy, exhilarating confidence, raw power, and uncompromising style. A decade of Armani-wearing, slicked-back dudes and power-dressing, big-haired babes zooming down open highways in sports cars, breakdancers gyrating to the sounds of the boombox, neon-clad skaters and BMXers soaring through the skies in a sparkling, endless Californian heatwave.
It was the decade hip hop and new wave went mainstream, home computing planted the seed of the Information Age, and a flood of electrifying movies and music intoxicated the world with glorious visions of the chrome-plated American Dream.
And the language! Every ’80s movement developed its own vibrant, eloquent, often hilarious slang – and the mass media machine turbocharged it into the popular imagination.
This bright, witty dictionary is no dry lexicon – it’s a fresh, zesty expedition into the soul of a vigorous age. You can dip in at random, read it cover-to-cover, or surf from one cross-reference to another in a radical journey of linguistic exploration. However you approach this unique book, you will find yourself reliving an era of limitless optimism and opportunity – or discovering it for the first time!
God-Level Knowledge Darts Life Lessons from the Bronx by Desus & Mero
A wild, hilarious guide to life from the hosts of the hit late-night show Desus & Mero and the Bodega Boys podcast
Who could have predicted that, after a fateful meeting in a Bronx summer school in the 1990s, Desus & Mero would turn their friendship into an empire of talking to each other. And it’s no surprise—tuning in to them is like listening to the funniest, smartest people you know dissect a topic and then light it on fire. Now they’ve written the most essential guide to life of this century*, in which all the important questions are asked: How do I talk to my kids about drugs if I do them, too? What are the ethics of ghosting in a relationship? How do I bet on sports? How should I behave in jail? How much is too much to spend on sneakers? Is porn really that bad for me?
As they put it: “We want to share all we’ve learned, after years in the Bronx streets, with you: the people. So with a lifetime spent building up a plethora of information from trials and tribulations and a handful of misdemeanors, we decided to write this book—a sequel to the Bible, or maybe to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,depending on how big a nerd you are. Let this book be your North Star.”
The Atlas of Dark Destinations by Peter Hohenhaus
Reaching some of the darkest and most unsettling corners of the world, this is a compendium of travel destinations like no other. Author Peter Hohenhaus has visited and photographed all the places featured in the book, and brings his first-hand knowledge to the reader. Dark tourism has seen a surge in popularity in the last decade and this is the first book to bring together 300 destinations in a readable and fascinating guide. From nuclear bunkers and disaster sites to strange medical museums and eerie catacombs, this book has something for everyone who seeks a travel experience with true meaning.
Unconventional Vehicles: Forty-Five of the Strangest Cars, Trains, Planes, Submersibles, Dirigibles, and Rockets EVER by Michael Hearst and Hans Jenssen
Think you know vehicles? Think again!
Unconventional Vehicles is a nonfiction collection of 45 of the strangest, most unconventional vehicles that have ever existed. Vehicles include an underwater battery-powered scooter, a carriage pulled by ostriches, a hot air balloon shaped like the Cathedral of Saint Gall, and five different jet packs. Filled with history, science, technology, engineering, and interesting bits of trivia, with vehicles ranging from submersibles to dirigibles.
Unconventional Vehicles explores very strange modes of transportation for vehicle fans, rocket inventors, budding space-and-aeronautics experts, and anyone who’s ever thought, “Why can’t I ride a motorized suitcase through the airport?” Brimming with fascinating facts and diagrams presented with wit and humor, this book is sure to enthrall vehicle enthusiasts of every age.
Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook: Official Holiday Recipes From a Galaxy Far, Far Away by Jenn Fujikawa and Marc Sumerak
Celebrate every Wookiee’s favorite holiday—Life Day—with this collection of 50 recipes and crafts inspired by the galaxy’s holiday traditions!
Acclaimed chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs returns to bring you authentic Life Day recipes from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Guaranteed to help you spread Life Day’s message of fellowship and love, this cookbook will be a scrumptious and festive mainstay in your kitchen!
Whether your family is celebrating Life Day at the Tree of Life, or in the comfort of your home, this Life Day cookbook will be the most scrumptious. This cookbook will teach chefs of any skill level to prepare delicious appetizers, main courses, beverages, and desserts from planets such as Kashyyyk, Endor, Mon Cala, Alderaan, and beyond.
Features dozens of mouthwatering recipes, including Bantha Surprise, Wroshyr Bramble, Jelly Life Day Orbs, and Mudhorn Eggnog. Cookie will also show you how to create family-friendly crafts, from your very own Life Day Orbs to Wookiee Robes, that will help you celebrate Life Day, even if you’re not on Kashyyyk!
Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure by Eric Wareheim
Director and actor Eric Wareheim might be known for his comedy, but his passion for food and drink is no joke. For the last fifteen years he has been traveling the world in search of the best bites and sips, learning from top chefs and wine professionals along the way. His devotion to beautiful natural wine, the freshest seafood crudos, and perfectly cooked rib-eyes is legit. And now he wants to share with you everything he’s learned on this epic food journey.
In Foodheim, Wareheim takes readers deep into his foodscape with chapters on topics like circle foods (burgers, tacos), grandma foods (pasta, meatballs), and juicy foods (steak, ribs). Alongside recipes for Chicken Parm with Nonna Sauce, Personal Pan Pep Pep, and Crudite Extreme with Dill Dippers, you will discover which eight cocktail recipes you should know by heart, how to saber a bottle of bubbly, and what you need to do to achieve handmade pasta perfection at home.
Written with award-winning cookbook editor Emily Timberlake and featuring eye-popping photographs and art chronicling Wareheim’s evolution as a drinker, how to baby your pizza dough into pie perfection, and more, Foodheim is the ultimate book for anyone who lives to eat.
Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount
It’s time to diversify your reading list. This richly illustrated and vastly inclusive collection uplifts the works of authors who are often underrepresented in the literary world.
Using their keen knowledge and deep love for all things literary, coauthors Jamise Harper (founder of the Diverse Spines book community) and Jane Mount (author of Bibliophile) collaborated to create an essential volume filled with treasures for every reader: Dozens of themed illustrated book stacks—like Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Mysteries, Cookbooks, and more—all with an emphasis on authors of color and authors from diverse cultural backgrounds; A look inside beloved bookstores owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; and reading recommendations from leading BIPOC literary influencers
Diversify your reading list to expand your world and shift your perspective. Kickstart your next literary adventure now!
Everything, All the Time, Everywhere: How We Became Postmodern by Stuart Jeffries
A radical new history of a dangerous idea
Post-Modernity is the creative destruction that has shattered our present times into fragments. It dynamited modernism which had dominated the western world for most of the 20th century. Post-modernism stood for everything modernism rejected: fun, exuberance, irresponsibility. But beneath its glitzy surface, post-modernism had a dirty secret: it was the fig leaf for a rapacious new kind of capitalism. It was also the forcing ground of the ‘post truth’, by means of which western values got turned upside down.
But where do these ideas come from and how have they impacted on the world? In his brilliant history of a dangerous idea, Stuart Jeffries tells a narrative that starts in the early 1970s and continue to today.
He tells this history through a riotous gallery that includes David Bowie, the Ipod, Frederic Jameson, the demolition of Pruit-Igoe, Madonna, Post-Fordism, Jeff Koon’s ‘Rabbit’, Deleuze and Guattari, the Nixon Shock, The Bowery series, Judith Butler, Las Vegas, Margaret Thatcher, Grand Master Flash, I Love Dick, the RAND Corporation, the Sex Pistols, Princess Diana, the Musee D’Orsay, Grand Theft Auto, Perry Anderson, Netflix, 9/11
We are today scarcely capable of conceiving politics as a communal activity because we have become habituated to being consumers rather than citizens. Politicians treat us as consumers to whom they must deliver. Can we do anything else than suffer from buyer’s remorse?
Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life by Ray Richmond
Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life is a visual salute to the First Lady of Television, spanning her more than 80 years as a performer and star of such legendary series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls.
Chronicling 100 highlights from the acting life and passions that have defined an entertainment career like no other, this stunning tribute includes: A foreword by actor Gavin MacLeod, who was part of The Mary Tyler Moore Show cast with Betty White; Over 100 photographs from her decades in comedy as well as a contestant on game shows including What’s My Line?, Password, To Tell the Truth, and Match Game; and interviews with friends and colleagues, such as Carol Burnett and Candice Bergen
White’s pioneering legacy extends back to the earliest days of TV in the 1950s, when she served as both producer and star of the sitcom Life with Elizabeth during an era that predated glass ceilings. The volume also vividly illustrates the beloved White’s lifelong advocacy for animals as well as the masterful comic versatility she displayed even as she closed in on the century mark.
Revel in Betty White’s talent, elegance, and spunk with this photographic retrospective of her life.
Crayola: A Visual Biography of the World’s Most Famous Crayon by Crayola LLC and Lisa Solomon
A vibrant and colorful history of Crayola crayons, from the company’s origin story, the birth of the Crayola crayon, the evolution of the iconic crayon packages, and profiles of every Crayola color from Sky Blue to Carnation Pink.
Everyone has a relationship with color. If you think back to your first memories of exploring color, there is a very good chance that crayons were involved. And when it comes to crayons, Crayola is king.
This book explores the history of a beloved childhood art supply, while also delving into our relationship with color: how we use and create with color, and how we name colors. It looks at the history of the 120 iconic colors of Crayola and where they came from, and how Crayola itself has helped shape our understanding of color over the last century and a half. Finally, this book explores how people — adults and children alike — have and continued to turn to Crayola to inspire and manifest their creativity. Filled with hundreds of illustrations and archival photos, Crayola is a nostalgic and fascinating wonderland of creativity and delight.
Every Day Amazing Fantastic Facts for Every Day of the Year by Mike Barfield, and Marianna Madriz
Something amazing really does happen every single day!
Literally the book of the year, this incredible compendium gives you fun and fantastic facts for every date on the calendar.
Did you know that Buzz Aldrin took the first selfie in space on November 12th 1966? Or that October 21st is International Day of the Nacho? Read the facts daily throughout the year, or look up birthdays to see what amazing events in history happened on that day!
Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings by Brian Heiler
Colorful packaging hanging from your pharmacists or grocer s shelves, designed to entice you while you sat in your parents shopping cart.
Often terribly made, these strange playthings were low priced enough to wear down even the most frugal adult and were most likely forgotten or broken by the time you left the parking lot.
A love-letter to fun toys that broke real easy, Rack Toys chronicles decades of cheaply made toys found on the rack of discount stores, drug stores and anywhere in-between. What these toys lacked in quality, they made up for in charm and kitsch.
Atlas of Imagined Places: from Lilliput to Gotham City by Matt Brown and Rhys B. Davies
From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver’s Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps.
The maps feature fictional buildings, towns, cities and countries plus mountains and rivers, oceans and seas. Ever wondered where the Bates Motel was based? Or Bedford Falls in It’s a Wonderful Life? The authors have taken years to research the likely geography of thousands of popular culture locations that have become almost real to us. Sometimes these are easy to work out, but other times a bit of detective work is needed and the authors have been those detectives. By looking at the maps, you’ll find that the revolution at Animal Farm happened next to Winnie the Pooh’s home.
Each location has an an extended index entry plus coordinates so you can find it on the maps. Illuminating essays accompanying the maps give a great insight into the stories behind the imaginary places, from Harry Potter’s wizardry to Stone Age Bedrock in the Flintstones.
A stunning map collection of invented geography and topography drawn from the world’s imagination. Fascinating and beautiful, this is an essential book for any popular culture fan and map enthusiast.
Atlas of Improbable Places A Journey to the World’s Most Unusual Corners by Travis Elborough
Inspiring urban explorers and armchair travellers alike to consider a new way of understanding the world we live in, this unique atlas shows you the modern world from surprising new vantage points.
Hidden lairs beneath layers of rock, forgotten cities rising out of deserted lands and even mankind’s own feats of engineering eccentricity lie in the most unusual of destinations. Go in search of the obscure and bizarre, the beautiful and estranged, taking in the defiant relics of ancient cities such as Ani, a once thriving metropolis lost to conquered lands, and the church tower of San Juan Parangaricuto, that miraculously stands as the sole survivor of a town sunk by lava. Through the labyrinths of Berlin and Beijing — underground realms dug for refuge, espionage and even, as Canada’s Moose Jaw, used as the playground for gangsters trading liquor and money over cards — never forgetting the freaks and wonders of nature’s own unusual masterpieces: the magical underground river shaped like a dragon’s mouth in the Philippines and the floating world of Palmerston.
With beautiful maps and stunning photography illustrating each destination, Atlas of Improbable Places is a fascinating voyage to the world’s most incredible destinations. As the Island of Dolls and the hauntingly titled Door to Hell — an inextinguishable fire pit – attest, mystery is never far away. The truths and myths behind their creation are as varied as the destinations themselves. Standing as symbols of worship, testaments to kingships or even the strange and wonderful traditions of old and new, these curious places are not just extraordinary sights but reflections on man’s own relationship with the world around us.
The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas by Jim Hinckley
The definitive, fully illustrated state-by-state atlas of the shifting alignments, historic sites, and current points of interest along the United States’ beloved Route 66.
Route 66 changed immensely in the six decades between its opening in 1926 and its removal from the U.S. highway system in 1985. Since that time, Route 66 has enjoyed a renaissance, and interest in America’s Mother Road as both a historical byway and a travel destination continues to grow. In this unprecedented volume, prolific Route 66 author Jim Hinckley presents an illustrated Route 66 atlas that explores the road’s history from its inception into the present day. The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas features sections on eight U.S. states that include points of interest along or near Route 66, divided into six categories: pre-1926 historic sites (such as Lincoln’s home and presidential library); noteworthy landmarks; the locations of infamous crimes and disasters; parks of interest; key sites in Route 66’s evolution (such as Hooker’s Cut, Missouri, an engineering marvel when completed); military-specific sites (including Civil War battlefields and POW and internment camps); historic attractions from the road’s midcentury heyday (such as Little Beaver Town and Geronimo’s Trading Post); film-related sites; and locations important to Route 66’s modern resurgence. Illustrated with photography and memorabilia, The Illustrated Route 66 Historical Atlas is a unique, colorful, and visually dynamic look at 500 of the Mother Road’s most significant sites from the past and today.
Pop Culture Pioneers: The Women Who Transformed Fandom in Film, Television, Comics, and More by Cher Martinetti
In every medium in popular culture—from books, films, and video games to comics, television, and animation—women have been instrumental in creating and shaping the worlds, characters, and genres that we know and love. However, much of their hard work and innovation has gone largely unrecognized—until now. With a foreword by American Gods actress Yetide Badaki and essays exploring the history and transformation of pop culture’s genres and mediums, Pop Culture Pioneers explores and pays respect to the women who played a crucial role in creating and influencing of some of the most famous worlds and characters in pop culture including: Directors & Producers like Karyn Kusama (Aeon Flux, Jennifer’s Body), Denise Di Novi (co-producer of Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas), and Jean MacCurdy (producer of Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs); Writers & Editors like Jeanette Khan (editor and publisher of DC Comics), Alice Bradley Sheldon (writing as James Tiptree Jr.), and Alison Bechdel (Fun Home); Animators & Artists like Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), Noelle Stevenson (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) and Brenda Chapman (animator and director of Brave); As well as Marlene Clark (Blaxploitation actress), Roberta Williams (creator of the adventure game genre), Yvonne Blake (costume designer for Superman), Bonnie Erickson (co-creator of Miss Piggy), and many more.
Relics: A History of the World Told in 133 Objects by Jamie Grove and Max Grove
Four billion years in the palm of your hand, Relics: A History of the World Told in 133 Objects is the story of our planet as you’ve never seen it before.
The Mini Museum is a collection of treasures gathered from across space and time shared by tens of thousands of people in more than 120 countries. Each item in the collection is a story connected to a childhood dream of sharing all the wonders the universe has to offer while bringing all of us closer together.
In this book, the Mini Museum team shares the stories of real objects that have shaped our very existence across billions of years of history. Beginning with the birth of our solar system and the very building blocks of life, you’ll explore our dynamic planet, from the constant shifting of continents to dramatic and violent upheavals, which have changed the course of all life again and again. You’ll visit mighty civilizations with cultures spanning millennia, as well as modern symbols of creativity and innovation, and the march of humanity as we reach toward the stars.
Every item is photographed and presented in detail. There are also wild tales of adventure as the crew travels the world and prepares one of the most complex collections ever assembled.
An Editor’s Burial Journals and Journalism from the New Yorker and Other Magazines by Various
A scintillating collection of inspirations for Wes Anderson’s star-studded tenth film The French Dispatch–fascinating essays on the expatriate experience in Paris by some of the twentieth century’s finest writers.
A glimpse of post-war France through the eyes and words of 14 (mostly) expatriate journalists including Mavis Gallant, James Baldwin, A.J. Liebling, S.N. Behrman, Luc Sante, Joseph Mitchell, and Lillian Ross; plus, portraits of their editors William Shawn and New Yorker founder Harold Ross. Together: they invented modern magazine journalism. Includes an introductory interview by Susan Morrison with Anderson about transforming fact into a fiction and the creation of his homage to these exceptional reporters.
How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and Why Magic Matters by Joshua Jay
The door to magic is closed, but it’s not locked.
And now Joshua Jay, one of the world’s most accomplished magicians, not only opens that door but brings us inside to reveal the artistry and obsessiveness, esoteric history, and long-whispered-about traditions of a subject shrouded in mystery.
And he goes one step further: Joshua Jay brings us right into the mind of a magician—how they develop their other worldly skills, conjure up illusions, and leave the rest of us slack jawed with delight time after time. Along the way, Jay reveals another kind of secret, one all readers will find meaningful even if they never aspire to perform sleight of hand: What does it take to follow your heart and achieve excellence?
In 52 short, compulsively readable essays, Jay describes how he does it, whether it’s through the making of illusions, the psychology behind them, or the way technology influences the world of magic. He considers the aesthetics of performance, discusses contemporary masters, including David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine, and details how magicians hone their craft. And answers questions like: Can a magic trick be too good? How do you saw a person in half? Is there real magic in the universe? The answers, like so much in magic and life, depend on you.
The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time by Brad Meltzer with Keith Ferrell
Wanted: the truth. In a riveting collection, Brad Meltzer guides us through the 10 greatest conspiracies of all time, from Leonardo da Vinci’s stolen prophecy to the Kennedy assassination. This richly illustrated book serves up those fascinating, unexplained questions that nag at history buffs and conspiracy lovers: Why was Hitler so intent on capturing the Roman “Spear of Destiny?” Where did all the Confederacy’s gold go? What is the government hiding in Area 51? And did Lee Harvey Oswald really act alone?
Meltzer sifts through the evidence, weighs competing theories, separates what we know to be true and what’s still––and perhaps forever––unproved or unprovable, and in the end, decodes the mystery and arrives at the most likely explanation.
We Saw Scenery The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe by Merrill Markoe
In her first-ever graphic memoir, four-time Emmy-winning comedy writer Merrill Markoe unearths her treasured diaries, long kept under lock and key, to illustrate the hilarious story of her preteen and teen years and how she came to realize that her secret power was her humor. Wielding her layered and comically absurd style, Markoe takes readers back through her time as a Girl Scout, where she learned that “scouting” was really more about learning housewifery skills, to her earliest crushes on uniquely awful boys and her growing obsession with television.
Much has changed in our world since Markoe wrote in her diaries, or has it? Climate change wasn’t yet a rallying call, but the growing hole in the ozone preoccupied Markoe’s young mind. No one was flocking to the desert for Burning Man, but Markoe readily partook in the Ken Kesey Acid Test. As she charts the divide between her adolescence and adulthood, Markoe questions and berates her younger self, revealing how much is opaque to us in those young years.
Perfect for fans of Roz Chast, Allie Brosh, and Lynda Barry, We Saw Scenery is a laugh-out-loud story of a girl growing up, told from the perspective of the woman she became, and it will speak to all who wanted to understand themselves in the midst of their own maturing.
Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras
Created by the ever-curious minds behind Atlas Obscura, this breathtaking guide transforms our sense of what people around the world eat and drink. Covering all seven continents, Gastro Obscura serves up a loaded plate of incredible ingredients, food adventures, and edible wonders. Ready for a beer made from fog in Chile? Sardinia’s “Threads of God” pasta? Egypt’s 2000-year-old egg ovens?
But far more than a menu of curious minds delicacies and unexpected dishes, Gastro Obscura reveals food’s central place in our lives as well as our bellies, touching on history–trace the network of ancient Roman fish sauce factories. Culture–picture four million women gathering to make rice pudding. Travel–scale China’s sacred Mount Hua to reach a tea house. Festivals–feed wild macaques pyramid of fruit at Thailand’s Monkey Buffet Festival. And hidden gems that might be right around the corner, like the vending machine in Texas dispensing full sized pecan pies. Dig in and feed your sense of wonder.
Patient Zero A Curious History of the World’s Worst Diseases by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen
From the masters of storytelling-meets-science and co-authors of Quackery, Patient Zero tells the long and fascinating history of disease outbreaks—how they start, how they spread, the science that lets us understand them, and how we race to destroy them before they destroy us.
Written in the authors’ lively and accessible style, chapters include page-turning medical stories about a particular disease or virus—smallpox, Bubonic plague, polio, HIV—that combine “Patient Zero” narratives, or the human stories behind outbreaks, with historical examinations of missteps, milestones, scientific theories, and more.
Learn the tragic stories of Patient Zeros throughout history, such as Mabalo Lokela, who contracted Ebola while on vacation in 1976, and the Lewis Baby on London’s Broad Street, the first to catch cholera in an 1854 outbreak that led to a major medical breakthrough. Interspersed are origin stories of a different sort—how a rye fungus in 1951 turned a small village in France into a phantasmagoric scene reminiscent of Burning Man. Plus the uneasy history of human autopsy, how the HIV virus has been with us for at least a century, and more.
Sideshow: Fine Art Prints, Vol. 2 by Andrew Farago
No creative studio explores the intersection of high art and pop culture like Sideshow Collectibles. Now, Sideshow presents a jaw-dropping gallery of prints in this deluxe art book.
Featuring over 100 pieces inspired by Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and more, this collection of art prints will let you experience fan-favorite characters in a whole new way. Including lauded artists such as Alex Ross, Olivia De Berardinis, Adi Granov, Paolo Rivera, and more, this book will show you how top-tier illustrators brought their creative visions to life, from conceptual sketches to the finished piece. A prestige addition to any Sideshow collection, Sideshow: Fine Art Prints, Vol. 2 is a must-have coffee table book for fans, offering an engrossing experience of a unique gallery of pop culture art.
Dracula by Bram Stoker and Illustrated by Angela Barrett: Folio Society Edition
Bram Stoker’s masterpiece, in which the instantly recognisable Count Dracula plans to sate his dreadful appetites in England only to be thwarted by an intrepid band of friends, remains an enthralling read. Exploring themes of sexuality, religion, technology and good versus evil, and told through journal entries, letters and telegrams, its cultural and literary significance is undisputed. This collector’s edition includes 15 darkly mesmerising illustrations by acclaimed British artist Angela Barrett, each decorated with an exquisite border. The illustrations accentuate the sense of foreboding and despair in Stoker’s narrative, while the metallic-blocked binding and blood-red marbling on the slipcase complete this sumptuous new edition of the classic 19th-century horror.
Handpicked for her ethereal interpretations of the darker fairy tales as the perfect artist to illustrate Dracula, Angela Barrett has created remarkable work which is interwoven through this lavishly illustrated edition. Originally created for our sell-out limited edition, the 15 atmospheric illustrations invite the reader to look deeper – from the delicate webbing of a bat’s wing to the arresting portrait of the Count. Barrett’s gothic theme continues to the metallic gold-and-red blocked binding motifs, while the swirl of the blood-red marbling on the slipcase is deliciously macabre. The edition is introduced by Irish novelist John Banville, who reflects on Stoker’s life and the circumstances and influences that led to Dracula becoming not only his most successful novel, but also revered as one of the greatest horror stories ever written.
Ray Bradbury: Novels & Story Cycles by Ray Bradbury, edited by Jonathan R. Eller: Library of America Edition
A master storyteller and visionary champion of creative freedom, Ray Bradbury is one of the most beloved and influential writers of our time. In books that look forward to astonishing futures and backward to evanescent realms of memory, he elevated speculative fiction from the pages of the pulps to the vital center of American literary culture. This definitive Library of America edition gathers his novels and story cycles of the 1950s and 1960s for the first time.
Published at the hopeful dawn of the space age, and presented here in the complete, twenty-eight story-chapter form that Bradbury came to prefer, the linked tales of The Martian Chronicles (1950) envision an extraterrestrial future for humankind. Bradbury’s saga of the discovery, exploitation, and abandonment of Mars is not at all triumphal, until a second wave of settlers—free at last from earthly oppression and saved from atomic annihilation—pose a fateful question: will human beings be able to make the best of their second chance, as Martians?
In the dystopian future of Fahrenheit 451 (1953), the Firemen have one job: to incinerate books and all they contain, while mindless, big-screen entertainments distract the masses. But one of these Firemen, Guy Montag, asks why. Sneaking forbidden volumes home and meeting other clandestine readers, Montag becomes the unlikely hero of this now-classic novel, at once literary thriller and perennially relevant political fable.
Dandelion Wine (1957) is a fond, backward glance, recollecting the adventures of the summer of 1928 through the eyes of twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding, a boy much like Bradbury himself, as he comes of age in Green Town, Illinois. Full of gentle humor and a sense of wonder, this nostalgic novel pays homage to life’s ephemeral joys.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) is set in pleasant Green Town too—but with a chilling difference. When a traveling carnival arrives mysteriously one autumn night, the lives of the novel’s two young protagonists are altered forever. In what R. L. Stine called “the scariest book I ever read,” Will and Jim must join an ultimate-stakes battle against evil, as Bradbury imagines supernatural terror with stunning inventiveness.
Rounding out the volume are a half-dozen shorter pieces—taken from rare pamphlets, fanzines, and other hard-to-find sources, some never-before reprinted—in which Bradbury reflects on his writing and on the sources of his creativity.
SPIKE by Spike Lee
Spike Lee is a world-renowned, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a cultural icon, and one of the most prominent voices on race and racism for more than three decades. His prolific career has included over 35 films, including his directorial debut She’s Gotta Have It (1986), his seminal masterpiece Do the Right Thing (1989), and more recently, his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman (2018). Spike Lee’s provocative feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos, have shone the spotlight on significant stories and have made an indelible mark in both cinematic history and in contemporary society.
This career-spanning monograph titled SPIKE is a visual celebration of his life and career to date. The custom bold, typographic design is inspired by the LOVE/HATE brass rings that Radio Raheem wore in Do the Right Thing and that Spike Lee wore at the 2019 Academy Awards. The gold foil deboss on SPIKE on the vibrant fuchsia front cover is a bold and beautiful, eye-catching design. Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by David Lee, Spike’s brother and long-time still photographer, SPIKE the book, includes behind-the-scenes, insider images that underscore his creative process and his significant impact on the culture at large. From his critically acclaimed film Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, to his recent film Da 5 Bloods (2020) featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee’s work continues to resonate now more than ever. Also included here are his beloved commercials with Michael Jordan for Nike, which helped launch the billion-dollar Jordan brand product empire, as well as his music videos with Prince and Michael Jackson. This is a must-have collector’s item and ideal gift for any cinephile and fan of one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers in history.
The Lost World by Michael Crichton and Illustrated by Vector That Fox: Folio Society Edition
Six years ago, John Hammond’s dinosaur park experiment ended in disaster. The parts that were still standing were shut down, and the animals themselves destroyed. But something has survived …
The last thing Dr Ian Malcolm wants is a reminder of his experiences at Hammond’s park; he barely escaped with his life last time. But the corpses of strange beasts are washing up on islands around Costa Rica, and rumours of a possible ‘Site B’ – a place where the dinosaurs have flourished, alone, away from human interference – are beginning to gain traction. Very soon Malcolm and a team of experts find themselves exploring a new, lethally dangerous landscape. There are no cages to protect them on this island, and every step takes them further away from the world they knew.
The sequel to the best-selling phenomenon Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton’s The Lost World offers a thrill ride of scientific discovery, mathematical theory and sheer, gory dinosaur fun. Produced in series with its enormously popular predecessor, this edition is packed with gorgeous features, making it an irresistible volume for any dinosaur aficionado. Illustrator Vector That Fox has returned with a set of stunning cinematic images, including a binding design teeming with everyone’s favourite killing machines, the velociraptors. These sensational illustrations were created following the expert advice of palaeontologist Steve Brusatte, ensuring that the images reflect the very latest information on dinosaur biology. With illustrated endpapers, a new map of Isla Sorna – creased as if kept in some explorer’s pocket – and a unique ‘dinosaur skin’ slipcase, this edition of The Lost World is the gateway to a new realm of adventure: a time and a place when dinosaurs ruled the planet.
Sideshow Collectibles Presents: Capturing Archetypes, Volume 4: Demigods and Defenders: The Balance of Power by Andrew Farago, Foreword by Bobby Moynihan
Renowned for incredibly lifelike art pieces, Sideshow Collectibles presents an all-star gallery of the most powerful demigods, defenders, and more in this deluxe photography book.
Dynamic photography showcases statues inspired by Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Sideshow’s best-selling Court of the Deadseries, classic films such as Alien, and beyond. Through interviews with Sideshow’s key creatives, fans will learn how a talented team of sculptors created these works of art, bringing characters from comic book pages and movie screens into the real world through unparalleled precision and artistry. Capturing Archetypes, Volume 4 is a must-have book for fans, offering a unique experience of jaw-dropping pop culture art pieces.
Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon by Arjan Terpstra and Tim Lapetino
This gorgeous, hardcover retrospective, is the first-ever history of PAC-MAN.
Full of historical imagery, concept designs, marketing photos and more, the book examines the game’s design philosophy and origins through the artists, designers, developers, and other creative teams who brought PAC-MAN to life.
This new non-fiction book will journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the game’s incredible success in arcades and beyond. The book also dives into PAC-MAN’s unprecedented impact on pop culture, with more than 40 new interviews from key players around the world.
Peter Pan and Wendy by J. M. Barrie and Illustrated by Debra McFarlane: Folio Society Edition
Originally written and performed as a stage play in 1904, J. M. Barrie adapted his script into a novel in 1911, and Peter Pan and Wendy went on to become one of the best-selling and most beloved children’s books of all time. Based on stories that the author told his close friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies’s sons, the cheeky and free-spirited boy destined for eternal youth is an homage to the brothers, who would later become Barrie’s wards following their parents’ death in close succession. However, the ‘boy who would never grow up’ almost certainly also alludes to Barrie’s brother, David, who died in a tragic accident shortly before his fourteenth birthday. A fascination with childhood followed the author throughout his life and Peter Pan and Wendy would go on to become the world’s ode to eternal youth.
Since its first publication in 1911, generations of young readers have delighted in Peter Pan’s ‘awfully big adventure’. From Tinkerbell to Captain Hook and, of course, Peter himself, the cast of thoughtfully portrayed characters make this captivating story both timeless and nostalgic. It is the ultimate escapist adventure with children free to follow their dreams, fight their demons and revel in being young. This large-format Folio edition takes its inspiration from the most beautiful children’s books of the Edwardian era. Artist Debra McFarlane’s 12 exquisite watercolours illustrate the edition, alongside 23 integrated black-and-white ink drawings including a detailed map of Neverland. With pale blue endpapers printed with a design by the artist, and a silver blocked buckram binding, this is a book to treasure and hand down for generations to come.
The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming and Illustrated by Fay Dalton: Folio Society Edition
Captured by the KGB and brainwashed into making an assassination attempt on his own commander, James Bond is a shadow of his former self. However, M. is reluctant to consign Bond to the list of agents lost to enemy action. When his mind is set free of insidious Russian influences, Bond is sent after Francisco ‘Pistols’ Scaramanga, a lethal assassin with a penchant for flashy hardware: the former circus performer’s signature weapon is a gold-plated Colt .45. As the sadistic murderer responsible for the deaths of many of Bond’s fellow agents, Scaramanga must be put down like the animal he is – but the man is no fool. To get close to his target Bond must infiltrate Scaramanga’s closest confidants, or risk being on the end of a lethal golden bullet.
Written while Fleming was very ill and published eight months after his death, The Man with the Golden Gun sees Bond once again faced with his own mortality; yet, being Bond, he faces the possibility of his own end head on, taking risks and repeatedly snatching victory from the jaws of certain death. Perhaps fittingly for the last Bond novel, Fleming sets this adventure in his beloved Jamaica. The lavish descriptions of exotic locations have always been one of the highlights of the series, and Fleming’s portrayal of Jamaica is especially evocative. The beachside bars, the dusty inland towns and the dangerous mangrove swamps are all alive with the hum of insects and the scent of rum.
The latest volume in the enormously popular Folio Bond collection is also the last full-length adventure for the world’s favourite super spy. Still reeling from the events in You Only Live Twice, Bond must eliminate a world-class assassin, the lethal ‘Pistols’ Scaramanga: a man as cold as the metal his gun is forged from. For The Man with the Golden Gun, Fay Dalton returns with her incomparable vision of Bond and his glamorous, deadly and action-packed world. This gorgeous edition features seven full-colour illustrations, a pictorial slipcase and a binding inspired by Bond’s own impeccable suits.
Little Women: The Complete Novel, Featuring the Characters’ Letters and Manuscripts, Written and Folded by Hand by Barbara Heller and Louisa May Alcott
This special edition invites fans inside the world of the March sisters. It includes the full text of Little Women, plus gorgeous, removable replicas of the characters’ letters and other writings.
For anyone who loves Little Women, or still cherishes the joy of letter writing, this book illuminates a favorite story in a whole new way. Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale follows the March sisters as they come of age, and these unforgettable characters come alive in their letters and other writings. When Laurie invites Jo to join him for a picnic and “all sorts of larks,” the unbridled joy of their friendship shines through. Each of the girls’ personalities is perfectly encapsulated in the letters they pen to Marmee. And Jo’s heart-wrenching poem “My Beth” speaks to the profound bond between two sisters. As you read this deluxe edition of the novel, you will find pockets throughout containing replicas of all 17 significant letters and paper ephemera from the story, re-created with beautiful calligraphy and painstaking attention to historical detail. Pull out each one, peruse its contents, and allow yourself to be transported to the parlor of the March family home.
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics: 1963–1970
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics includes the full lyrics of 178 songs by the Fab Four—covering all of their biggest hits from 1963 to 1970. The memorable words from the Beatles’ greatest songs are accompanied by full-color photos, memorabilia, and illustrations that add a special touch to the pages. And the introduction by British music writer Steven Turner provides historical anecdotes about the band and songs. This collection of nostalgia will appeal to Beatles fans across the generations.
Escape from New York: The Official Story of the Film by John Walsh
Over forty years after the release of the iconic hit, Escape from New York: The Official Story of the Film delves into the archives to showcase the creation of the movie. Directed by John Carpenter and released in 1981, Escape from New York thrilled audiences worldwide with its memorable characters, gritty premise and creative special effects.
This must-have book is the ultimate retrospective to the cult-classic movie, illustrating the production process of the science-fiction blockbuster, plus the impact and influence in popular culture, as well as the costuming, special effects, music, posters, and much more. Featuring brand new interviews with cast and crew, plus a foreword written by award-winning filmmaker, Corin Hardy, this extraordinary collection of never-before-seen art will give fans exclusive insight into every aspect of the movie.
Elmore Leonard: The Classic Crime Novels: Library of America Edition
The Library of America presents the definitive edition of an American master of crime fiction: twelve modern classics in a deluxe three-volume collector’s boxed set. This is Elmore Leonard at his unbeatable best. The books also include a newly researched chronology of Elmore Leonard’s life, drawing on materials in his personal archive, and detailed annotations as well as deleted scenes, passages from earlier drafts, and more. Edited by Greg Sutter.
Four Novels of the 1970s
The four novels collected in this first volume re-invented the American crime novel and cemented Leonard’s reputation. All are set in his hometown Detroit, a hard-working “shot and a beer” kind of place whose lawless underside becomes a stage for an unforgettable cast of rogues, con artists, and psychopaths. Fifty-Two Pickup (1974), fast and sharply written, is an insidiously brutal book about an adulterous businessman who runs afoul of a crew of murderous blackmailers. Swag (1976) finds Leonard moving for the first time into the more comic mode that would become his signature, as he charts the small-time criminal careers of an amiable ex-con and an ambitious car salesman who share a bachelor pad and pursue their hedonistic dream of the good life through a string of armed robberies. Unknown Man No. 89 (1977) spins a complex web of crisscrossing rip-offs and con games, with process server Jack Ryan, a typically laid-back Leonard protagonist, caught in the middle. In The Switch (1978), one of Leonard’s funniest books, Mickey Dawson, a discontented housewife held for ransom, manages to turn the tables on her kidnappers while exacting overdue revenge on her scheming husband.
Four Novels of the 1980s
The 1980s was the decade when Elmore Leonard came into his own as the most popular and critically acclaimed crime writer in America. The four novels collected here show him at the top of his game. Each in its own way displays his unique ear for the jazzy cadences of American speech, his ability to create extraordinary characters on both sides of the law, and his genius for exhilaratingly unpredictable stories that slide on a dime from hard-edged menace to unexpected comedy.
For three months in 1978, Leonard shadowed detectives from Detroit’s homicide squad for a profile commissioned by The Detroit News. From that experience came the inspiration for City Primeval, perhaps his greatest Detroit novel, a modern-day showdown between a lawman and an outlaw filled with echoes of the Westerns that were Leonard’s early specialty. (This volume presents, as a special feature, “Impressions of Murder,” the brilliant piece Leonard wrote for The Detroit News Sunday Magazine.) LaBrava moves the action to a steamy, seamy Miami, as a Secret Service agent turned photographer finds himself embroiled in a scheme involving a long-forgotten, but still alluring, film noir actress. Old-time movie lore, local Florida history, and the intricacies of a complex extortion plot are interwoven in one of Leonard’s richest and most entertaining works.
Glitz, the novel that marked Leonard’s breakthrough as a best-selling author, plunges into the casually corrupt world of Atlantic City casinos—“an old seaside resort being done over in Las Vegas plastic”—populated by small-time hoods and hustlers. A police detective looking into the death of a cocktail waitress finds himself following the twisted trail of the unforgettable Teddy Magyk, perhaps Leonard’s most indelibly chilling bad guy. Freaky Deaky, one of the author’s own favorites, returns to Detroit for a carnivalesque ’60s flashback in which festering grudges left over from counterculture days are churned up in a brew of blackmail, bombs, and sex.
Four Later Novels
These later works explore new terrain (including Hollywood itself), and enliven Leonard’s fictional universe with a succession of vividly imagined denizens, a tumultuous and expressive crew whom he delights in setting on intricate collision courses.
In Get Shorty (1990), a Miami loan shark hits on a way to break into Hollywood as a producer. Drawing on his long history in the film industry, Leonard offers up a sharp-edged satiric tour of the studios, gleefully demonstrating a professional criminal’s natural affinity for the scams of show business. Perhaps the funniest of Leonard’s novels, Get Shorty was memorably filmed with John Travolta and Gene Hackman.
Rum Punch (1992) fields a complex story involving drug dealers, Federal agents, and an airline stewardess under pressure. Its bittersweet center is Max Cherry, a West Palm Beach bail bondsman with heart and integrity who, in a way he could not have anticipated, is challenged to start over again in middle age. The source for Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Rum Punch is both a superb caper and a wry and melancholy meditation on the hazards of staying honest and the stresses of getting older.
A real-life prison break provided the impetus for Out of Sight (1996). In this high-risk fusion of violent adventure and unlikely romance, Jack Foley, a career bank robber, and Karen Sisco, a deputy U.S. marshal, are flung together under unusual circumstances and embark on a manhunt that leads through Florida and back to Leonard’s original literary haunt, Detroit. Included as a special feature is “Karen Makes Out,” the story in which Leonard first introduced Sisco.
Inspired by the subculture of Civil War reenactments, Leonard made it the background for Tishomingo Blues (2002), an exuberant tale in which a young high-diving daredevil, a washed-up ballplayer, and an assortment of heavies and tricksters both local and from out of town come together in Tunica—“the Las Vegas of the South”—to relive the Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Art of the Game by Matt Ralphs
Jump on a wild ride across the cosmos in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, a story-driven action-adventure with a fresh take on everyone’s favorite ragtag group of legendary heroes. When the Guardians accidentally set off a chain reaction of catastrophic events, Star-Lord must live up to his skills, resolve, and swagger to hold this combustible band of misfits together. With half the galaxy after them and some of the most powerful entities in the universe on the loose, what could go wrong?
Embark on the epic journey behind the scenes of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in this beautiful hardback book. Accompanied by fascinating insights from the talented artists and developers behind the game, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Art of the Game features exclusive concept artwork and final designs of the characters, costumes, gear, ships, creatures, planets, and environments that make up its vast universe.
Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash: The Definitive Visual History by Kevin Smith, Foreword by Jason Mewes
Making the leap from convenience store worker to international film icon, Kevin Smith has spent over twenty-five years at the forefront of pop culture. In this hilariously candid treasure trove of artifacts and anecdotes, Kevin tells the full story of his incredible life for the first time, from his early days in Highlands, New Jersey, through to the breakout success of low-budget indie smash Clerks in 1994, and the series of hit films that allowed him to build his own cinematic “View Askewniverse.”
Both funny and confessional, Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash sees the director hold forth on all aspects of his career, including his live shows and podcasts, plus his comics and television work, such as the hit AMC show Comic Book Men.
This deluxe volume is illustrated with a wealth of rare and never-before-seen items from Kevin’s personal archives, including script pages, personal letters, and concept art from beloved movies including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Red State, Tusk, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and more. It also features a range of special pullout features exclusive to the book, including Kevin’s application to film school and comic art from Chasing Amy.In addition to a foreword from Kevin’s longtime collaborator and friend Jason Mewes, the book includes contributions from J. J. Abrams, Ben Affleck, Marc Bernardin, Ming Chen, Shannon Elizabeth, Walt Flanagan, Ralph Garman, Mark Hamill, Bryan Johnson, David Klein, Justin Long, Scott Mosier, Brian O’Halloran, Seth Rogen, Jennifer Schwalbach-Smith, and Harley Quinn Smith.
Definitive, revelatory, and packed with exclusive surprises, Kevin Smith’s Secret Stash is the book fans have been waiting for and a must-have for pop culture aficionados everywhere.
Elmore Leonard: Westerns: Library of America Edition
One of the great storytellers of our time, Elmore Leonard began his career writing Westerns, a genre he loved. In the pages of pulp magazines that were still flourishing in the 1950s—Argosy, Dime Western Magazine, Zane Grey’s Western, and others—he perfected his trademark style, a blend of wiry tautness, sharp characterizations, and jolts of unexpected humor. Now, writer and film critic Terrence Rafferty has gathered the best of Leonard’s Westerns in a single volume, four classic novels and eight outstanding short stories, including the tales that inspired such powerful films as Hombre, Valdez Is Coming, and 3:10 to Yuma.
In Last Stand at Saber River (1959), Leonard spins a tight narrative in which a homecoming Confederate veteran must fight to regain the ranch that has been stolen from him. Set, like most of Leonard’s Westerns, against a stark Arizona landscape, the novel is a masterpiece of unbroken tension, as the hero confronts a violent new war for all he holds dear.
Chosen as one of the twenty-five greatest Western novels by the Western Writers of America, and the basis for a classic film starring Paul Newman, Hombre (1961) is a stagecoach drama whose hero, a man raised by Apaches, is treated with contempt by the white settlers who will ultimately depend on him for their survival.
Valdez Is Coming (1970), Leonard’s favorite among his Westerns, pits Mexican American town constable Bob Valdez against the entrenched power of frontier oligarch Frank Tanner. When Valdez is maneuvered by Tanner into shooting an innocent man, he launches a one-man war for justice for the man’s widow that culminates with a surprising twist.
With Forty Lashes Less One (1972) Leonard explores the comic tone that would mark his later books. Set within the harsh confines of Yuma Territorial Prison, the novel recounts the unlikely friendship of two prisoners—one part Apache, the other African American—planning a near-impossible escape.
Like the novels, the eight stories included here, are tough, suspenseful, convincing, and beautifully spare in style. They range from Leonard’s first published pulp story, “Trail of the Apache” (1951), to one of his last, the fascinating character study “The Tonto Woman” (1982). Among the others are the twice-filmed “Three-Ten to Yuma” (1953) and “The Captives” (1955), the novella that inspired the acclaimed film The Tall T.
Fear No Evil by James Patterson
Alex Cross enters the final battle with the all-knowing genius who has stalked him and his family for years.
Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness—where they will be the prey.
They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission.
Until they’re attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years.
Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest.
No backup. No way out. Fear no evil.
The Art of Encato by Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones
A stunning showcase of the art behind Walt Disney Animation Studio’s magical film, Encanto!
With never-before-seen production art, character designs, storyboards, and colorscripts, The Art of Encanto celebrates the art of this stunning animated film, alongside exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and behind-the-scenes details into the creative development process.
Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife: The Art and Making of the Movie by Ozzy Inguanzo
Delve into the world of Ghostbusters: Afterlife in this glossy hardback filled with concept art, photography, and interviews with the cast and crew.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife – The Art and Making of the Movie, author Ozzy Inguanzo provides a comprehensive look at the making of the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. When a single mom and her two kids arrive in the small town of Summerville, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
This lavish hardback explores the creative spirit and remarkable legacy behind the film, providing in-depth insider access to its development and production. Experience the journey from script to screen through an extensive collection of behind-the-scenes images and designs including concept art, storyboards, sketches, and models—showcasing the unique process of capturing the spirit of the original film through new and iconic visuals, creatures, costumes, props, and one of the most beloved vehicles in cinema history. Accompanying hundreds of stunning images are exclusive insights from key creatives, including writer/director Jason Reitman, producer Ivan Reitman, the production designer, cinematographer, costume designer, visual effects designer, and the special makeup & live action creature effects designer—making it the ultimate movie companion for fans and film lovers alike.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: The Deluxe Edition by Quentin Tarantino
Featuring never-before-seen photos from the set and posters and other memorabilia from Rick Dalton’s career, an original, exclusive script for a Bounty Law episode by Quentin Tarantino titled “Incident at Inez” and a Mad Magazine parody of Bounty Law titled “Lousy Law: Loser’s Last Ride”
Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction—at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal—is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award- winning film.
The sunlit studio back lots and the dark watering holes of Hollywood are the setting for this audacious, hilarious, disturbing novel about life in the movie colony, circa 1969.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tells the story of washed-up actor Rick Dalton. Once Rick had his own television series, a famous western called Bounty Law. But “it ain’t been that time in a long time” and now Rick’s only regular parts are as the heavy, ready to be bested by whichever young “swingin’ dick” the networks want to make a new star out of come pilot season. When a talent agent approaches Rick about starring in Italian Westerns (“Eye-talian Westerns”?), it only ignites a new crisis of confidence for the perpetually insecure actor.
And then there’s Rick’s stunt double, Cliff Booth, a war hero who killed more Japanese soldiers during the Second World War than any other American, and who never thought he’d make it back home. If Rick’s career has stalled, Cliff’s has flamed out. Already living under a cloud of suspicion after the strange death of his wife at sea, Cliff makes the mistake of picking the wrong fight on set, and is soon reduced to the status of Rick’s full-time gofer.
Right next door to Rick’s still glamourous Benedict Canyon home (“the house that Bounty Law built”) some Hollywood dreams are coming true, and these dreams belong to Sharon Tate. Not only is she Mrs. Roman Polanski—married to the only true rock star director—but Sharon is fast becoming a star in her own right, living life on the upswing in a tough town.
Only a few miles away, in the desert around Chatsworth, lives a different kind of dreamer. Charles Manson is an ex-con who has spellbound a group of hippie misfits living with him in squalor on an old “movie ranch.” Little do his young followers know to what degree Charlie himself is an industry striver, more desperate for Columbia Records and Tapes’s attentions than for the revolution he preaches.
These indelible characters—and many more: an acting child prodigy beaming with hope; a booze-drenched former A-lister who’s lost it all—occupy a vanished world from not so long ago that is brought to brilliant life in these pages. Here is 1969, the music, the cars, the movies and TV shows. And here is Hollywood, both the fairy tale and the real thing, as given to us by a master storyteller who knows it like the back of his hand.
The Godzilla Art of KAIDA Yuji
Marvel at this spectacular collection of full-colour graphic art of Godzilla and other Toho movie monsters by renowned artist KAIDA Yuji.
For fans of big-screen monster films, KAIDA Yuji is a very well known name. Best known for his vivid illustrations of Godzilla and other popular Toho kaiju, some of Mr KAIDA’s most beautiful work is presented here in this full-color flexicover volume. This book’s 128 pages are packed with lush artwork, including a brand new piece showing Godzilla in London, created especially for this book.Whether you are an admirer of this Japanese master’s work or just a fan of monster movie art, this book is an essential purchase!
The Powers: Haven’s Secret by Melissa Benoist, Jessica Benoist and Mariko Tamaki
Ellie McFadden has intuitive gifts. She can sense what other living things are feeling. She can even talk to animals! Too bad she can’t connect with her twin sister, Parker. Parker McFadden has kinetic gifts. She can cause shocks to the earth and produce heat energy that explodes from her body like fire, especially when she is angry. The sisters aren’t aware of the legacy they inherited from their mother until, on their thirteenth birthday, two mysterious relatives on the Power side whisk them off to an isolated sanctuary called Haven. Ellie immediately adapts to their new routine, but Parker has one impulse: to get back to her normal life of friends and sports, fast.
Unlocking Haven’s secrets is just the beginning of what Ellie and Parker can do if they choose to work together to harness their abilities. But the sinister force that took their mother has other plans; and if the sisters’ fragile relationship succumbs to The Danger, a terrible fate may befall the people they love.
No Time to Die: The Making of the Film by Mark Salisbury
This lavish coffee table hardback takes readers behind the scenes of the 25th official James Bond film and reveals the locations, characters, gadgets, weapons, and cars of No Time To Die, with exclusive on-set photography, concept art, costume designs, stunt breakdowns, and more, accompanied by cast and crew interviews.
Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Hip-Hop (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano and Arturo Torres
Hip-Hop (And Other Things) is about, as it were, rap, but also some other things. It’s a smart, fun, funny, insightful book that spends the entirety of its time celebrating what has become the most dominant form of music these past two and a half decades. Tupac is in there. Jay Z is in there. Missy Elliott is in there. Drake is in there. Pretty much all of the big names are in there, as are a bunch of the smaller names, too.
There’s art from acclaimed illustrator Arturo Torres, there are infographics and footnotes; there’s all kinds of stuff in there. Some of the chapters are serious, and some of the chapters are silly, and some of the chapters are a combination of both things. All of them, though, are treated with the care and respect that they deserve.
Rotten Tomatoes: The Ultimate Binge Guide: 296 Must-See Shows That Changed the Way We Watch TV
For the completist, The Ultimate Binge Guide is a challenge: a bingeable bucket list of all the shows you need to see before you die (or just to be super-informed at your next dinner party). For all readers, it’s a fascinating look at the evolution of TV.
The guide is broken down into several sections that speak to each series’ place in TV history, including:
- Classics That Made the Molds (And Those That Broke Them): The Jeffersons, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Get Smart, Cheers, Golden Girls, Happy Days…
- Tony, Walt, Don, and the Antiheroes We Loved and Hated: Oz, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Americans, Peaky Blinders, Ozark, The Shield, Boardwalk Empire, How To Get Away With Murder…
- Game-Changing Sitcoms and the Kings and Queens of Cringe: Insecure, Community, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fleabag, Black-ish, Party Down, Veep, Catastrophe, Fresh Off the Boat, Tim and Eric, Schitt’s Creek, Better Things, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Pen15, Freaks and Geeks, Broad City, Black Lady Sketch Show…
- Grown-Up Genre: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Star Trek, Watchmen, The Witcher, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Westworld, Doctor Who…
- Mysteries and Mindf–ks: Twin Peaks, Lost, Sense8, Mr. Robot, Broadchurch, The Leftovers, Fargo, Top of the Lake, Killing Eve, Wilfred, True Detective, Hannibal, Mindhunter…
- Reality TV and Docuseries That Captured the Zeitgeist: The Last Dance, Making A Murderer, Cheer, Tiger King, Planet Earth, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Wild Wild Country, Queer Eye, The Jinx, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown…
In this punchy full-color guide, the editors of Rotten Tomatoes complement series write-ups with engaging infographics; fun sidebars (like a battle between the US and UK editions of The Office); and deep-dive essays on the streaming wars, superproducers to know, and the evolution of our collective viewing habits.
Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Conversations with Cinema’s Greatest Artists by Heather Wixson
Pennywise. Xenomorphs. Freddy Krueger. Beetlejuice. Jason Voorhees. Most movie fans immediately recognize these creatures and characters, but hardly know much about the artists behind these iconic designs. In Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume 1, journalist Heather Wixson shines the spotlight on twenty special makeup effects artists, creators and technicians whose work has left us captivated and marveling at their innovation, ingenuity and creativity.
Featuring behind-the-scenes photos and extensive interviews, MM&E explores the lives, careers and inspirations behind some the greatest artisans to have ever worked in film and television. MM&E is a celebration of the creative spirit and artistic endeavors of those who have worked tirelessly for decades to create the memorable monsters, creatures and onscreen personas that have terrified us, made us laugh and filled us with a sense of wonder
Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume 1 features comprehensive discussions with: Howard Berger, Ve Neill, “Screaming” Mad George, Thomas Burman, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Joel Harlow, Matt Rose, David LeRoy Anderson, Bari Dreiband-Burman, Doug Drexler Wayne Toth,Lance Anderson, Tony Gardner, Patrick Tatopoulos, Jim McPherson, Bart Mixon, Gabe Bartalos, Paul Jones, and Everett Burrell.
The Labyrinth by Simon Stålenhag
Visionary illustrator and author Simon Stålenhag (The Electric State, Tales From The Loop) presents a tense, dark tale of ruin and vengeance set among a stunning sci-fi apocalypse like you’ve never seen before.
An eight-wheeled vehicle trundles across a barren landscape of ash and ruined buildings toward a lone bunker deep in the wilderness. Inside the vehicle are three passengers: two scientists—who plan to use the outpost as a home base for the study of world-ending phenomena—and a boy named Charlie.
As the work unfolds, the isolation and claustrophobia of the compound threatens each member of the expedition with madness. Forced to confront their own dark history and the struggles of the haves and have-nots, the members of the expedition find themselves hurtling toward ruin.
