The four books that formed the foundation of my reading on horror movie history during my formative years, all replacements for my original copies.
MONSTERS FROM THE MOVIES was first had as a paperback obtained from a Scholastic book fair when I was in fourth grade, and it was a perfect introductory book on the subject, especially since it opted not to talk down to young readers. (My original copy of that one was ruined when my mother, during her era of serially disrespecting my possessions and either breaking or otherwise ruining them, left a capless Magic Marker on top of the book and the pen bled out its blue ink all over my beloved book, utter soaking the pages and rendering them unreadable. I remember it like it was yesterday.)
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE HORROR FILM was another one that I had as a paperback, while this replacement is a hardcover of its first edition. I do not recall where I got my original copy from, but the book is notable as my first adult-level reading on the genre. It's exhaustive in how comprehensive it is, though it is only current through its 1968 publication date.
A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF HORROR MOVIES is a highly recommended and absolutely gorgeous hardcover coffee table book that is a must-have for all horror movie enthusiasts. Lushly illustrated with a plethora of photos, it's a book that I read to the point of wearing out my two previous copies, so I once again resorted to eBay for another replacement.
Lastly comes HORRORS: FROM SCREEN TO SCREAM — another eBay purchase, as my original fell apart forty years back — which is less of an historical overview and more of an A-Z listing with brief synopses and some criticism thrown in here and there. It's a handy reference guide to horror film up through 1975, and it is loaded with photos. It was a good entry-level book at the time, and it still holds a dear place in my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment