Best books about filmmaking?

If anyone has some solid book recommendations covering film history, different eras, theory, or anything along those lines, please share them! Feel free to drop a link where I can grab a copy.

I've actually had my eye on a specific set by John Wakeman for a while now, and I'm planning to pull the trigger soon: World Film Directors: Volume One 1890-1945 and Volume Two 1945-1985.
The books aren't cheap, so I'll definitely need to set some money aside for them. That’s why I’m looking for some honest feedback—if anyone here has read them, I could really use a glowing recommendation to justify the investment.

Christian Taylor3 went ahead and tidied up this thread quite nicely.

David Price5 said:Christian Taylor3 went ahead and tidied up this thread quite nicely.

I get that, but his thread has a ton of links that just lead to PDF files. What I’m really looking for is if anyone has read the book I wrote. I didn't want the whole discussion to revolve solely around my own work, so I tried to expand the topic a bit. Generally speaking, I'm interested in physical books you can actually order—I'm not really looking for stuff I can just scroll through on a computer screen.🙂
I doubt Christian Taylor3 is upset; his thread is top-notch, and I made sure to give him props right when he started it.

David Price5 gave me a bit of a hard time just now. I probably shouldn't have started a thread like this, but I’d rather leave the question out there for anyone interested:

Has anyone actually sat down and read that book by Wakeman?

Thanks.

Why not? I’d actually love to see some book recommendations focused on film. Ideally something I could just grab from my local library. Personally, I can't stand reading digital books on a computer screen.

The topic's fine—it's not just some random rant about everything under the sun...

I'm usually drawn to those Frayling pieces on Leone—but then some other movie always ends up stealing my attention🙂

@Mark Wood79

Of course I'm not going to get worked up about it, so why would I? 🤷 Besides, those PDF previews are mostly just there to give you a quick look—you know, skim the table of contents on your laptop to see if it's actually worth your time before you pull the trigger and buy it. To be honest, about 90% of the PDFs floating around this thread are already sitting on my actual bookshelf (all bought legally, I promise). I always appreciate everyone else's suggestions, but at the end of the day, I'm the best judge of what I actually want to read. 🙂

I haven't gotten my hands on *World Film Directors: Volume One 1890-1945* or *Volume Two 1945-1985* yet, nor have I read them; I'm currently hunting down some decent reviews.

Speaking of which, I've got a little something arriving for Christmas:

*Bambi vs Godzilla* by David Mamet
*William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade*
*Conversations with Wilder*, by Cameron Crowe (though my copy somehow ended up with a friend. Pro tip: never lend books, especially not to friends or acquaintances)
*John Ford* by Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington
*Cronenberg on Cronenberg*, by Chris Rodley
*Notes on the Cinematographer*, by Robert Bresson
*Who the Devil Made It?*, by Peter Bogdanovich

🙂

It's kind of like being at a wedding 😁 where I basically hand out a checklist to my friends and family ahead of time: No socks, no CDs, no DVDs—just give me books! 🙂 It's no wonder they all affectionately call me "The Book Nazi." 😬

Dennis Doyle3 said:Why not? I’d actually love to see some book recommendations focused on film. Ideally something I could just grab from my local library. Personally, I can't stand reading digital books on a computer screen.

You can certainly find plenty of cinema history at the public library, though I don't see the issue with an e-book; for me, a good book is just a great way to pass a cold winter afternoon when you have solid recommendations in hand...

Yellow subtitles are absolute garbage. Bringing them back is just inviting a massive pile of crap back into our lives.

QUENTIN TARANTINO: THE BATTLE OF BALBOA Is this actually worth my time? I just can't seem to find the motivation to finally pick it up...

briskhound2 said:QUENTIN TARANTINO: THE BATTLE OF BALBOA Is this actually worth my time? I just can't seem to find the motivation to finally pick it up...

Wait, isn't that the one by Clarkson? If it is, go for it. I wouldn't call it some life-changing masterpiece, but it definitely wasn't total garbage either—unlike "Yellow Subtitle." It’s a solid, readable enough read.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:Wait, isn't that the one by Clarkson? If it is, go for it. I wouldn't call it some life-changing masterpiece, but it definitely wasn't total garbage either—unlike "Yellow Subtitle." It’s a solid, readable enough read.

Thanks 👍

briskhound2 said:Thanks 👍

I’m pretty sure that old bookstore on Broadway near the corner of 42nd Street has that book for maybe 50-$20 bucks. If they don't, check out the shops over in Chelsea.

And those guys on Broadway definitely carry Krakauer's "Understanding Media" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film. Go grab them right now!

Nicholas Walker3 said:The topic's fine—it's not just some random rant about everything under the sun...

I'm usually drawn to those Frayling pieces on Leone—but then some other movie always ends up stealing my attention🙂

I’m in the same boat, though I decided to treat myself to just one book this holiday season. Amazon is honestly dangerous—you start browsing their curated collections and suddenly your head is spinning with everything you want to buy. That said, I still trust the Criterion Collection more than anyone else.
It looks like nobody has picked up that Wakeman book yet, and it's a bit pricey right now, so I guess I'll wait and see... maybe I'll order it in a month or two.

Christian Taylor3 said:@Mark Wood79

Of course I'm not going to get worked up about it, so why would I? 🤷 Besides, those PDF previews are mostly just there to give you a quick look—you know, skim the table of contents on your laptop to see if it's actually worth your time before you pull the trigger and buy it. To be honest, about 90% of the PDFs floating around this thread are already sitting on my actual bookshelf (all bought legally, I promise). I always appreciate everyone else's suggestions, but at the end of the day, I'm the best judge of what I actually want to read. 🙂

I haven't gotten my hands on *World Film Directors: Volume One 1890-1945* or *Volume Two 1945-1985* yet, nor have I read them; I'm currently hunting down some decent reviews.

Speaking of which, I've got a little something arriving for Christmas:

*Bambi vs Godzilla* by David Mamet
*William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade*
*Conversations with Wilder*, by Cameron Crowe (though my copy somehow ended up with a friend. Pro tip: never lend books, especially not to friends or acquaintances)
*John Ford* by Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington
*Cronenberg on Cronenberg*, by Chris Rodley
*Notes on the Cinematographer*, by Robert Bresson
*Who the Devil Made It?*, by Peter Bogdanovich

🙂

It's kind of like being at a wedding 😁 where I basically hand out a checklist to my friends and family ahead of time: No socks, no CDs, no DVDs—just give me books! 🙂 It's no wonder they all affectionately call me "The Book Nazi." 😬

Exactly. Like I mentioned before, I just wanted to ask about that one book that caught my eye, and it felt silly to start an entirely new thread just for that. Besides, your site covers so much ground anyway—it's not just books, but interviews, deep dives into the classics, and all sorts of background info.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:I’m pretty sure that old bookstore on Broadway near the corner of 42nd Street has that book for maybe 50-$20 bucks. If they don't, check out the shops over in Chelsea.

And those guys on Broadway definitely carry Krakauer's "Understanding Media" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film. Go grab them right now!

Roughly how much does that run? What's the exact title? Are you positive they have it in stock? If so, I'd probably go out and grab it tomorrow. I've realized lately that my actual library at home is pretty thin—and I'm talking real books, not just photocopies or whatever.

Amanda Nguyen5 said:I’m pretty sure that old bookstore on Broadway near the corner of 42nd Street has that book for maybe 50-$20 bucks. If they don't, check out the shops over in Chelsea.

And those guys on Broadway definitely carry Krakauer's "Understanding Media" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film. Go grab them right now!

I actually live quite a ways from NYC, 🙂 but we have a copy sitting right there at our local public library—so if I can just swing by and grab it after seeing the recommendation... I haven't been able to make up my mind yet though...

And they definitely carry Krakauer’s "Underflow" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film theory. Grab those immediately!

Adding those to my "must-read" pile for sure...

It’s probably a lost cause, but I figured I’d ask anyway. Has anyone here actually pulled the trigger on this absolute monstrosity? 😲

"I think the title says it all: 'Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.' This is something so fantastic, that I want to stay alive at least till this book comes out this fall. This is the ultimate obsessive book on Kubrick with respect to his research and thoughts on a film he never made. Documentation, the script, his notes, landscape photos, costumes, you name it and it's all in this incredible book. I saw parts of it at the TASCHEN office, and it's superb. Really superb."

There's even a little clip if you want to see it in action:



The big film book everyone's been buzzing about all year. It’s large enough that you could practically use it as a coffee table—it might even be bigger than Mrs. Kubrick 😁 herself. Price tag: $550.00 😢

Thank God they offer plenty of options so us broke folks can afford 🙂something else
instead.

Christian Taylor3 said:It’s probably a lost cause, but I figured I’d ask anyway. Has anyone here actually pulled the trigger on this absolute monstrosity? 😲

"I think the title says it all: 'Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.' This is something so fantastic, that I want to stay alive at least till this book comes out this fall. This is the ultimate obsessive book on Kubrick with respect to his research and thoughts on a film he never made. Documentation, the script, his notes, landscape photos, costumes, you name it and it's all in this incredible book. I saw parts of it at the TASCHEN office, and it's superb. Really superb."

There's even a little clip if you want to see it in action:



The big film book everyone's been buzzing about all year. It’s large enough that you could practically use it as a coffee table—it might even be bigger than Mrs. Kubrick 😁 herself. Price tag: $550.00 😢

Thank God they offer plenty of options so us broke folks can afford 🙂something else
instead.

They definitely have plenty! And the prices are great—$20 for a Renoir, or $15 for a Ford or Truffaut, which is practically nothing. Since the company is based out of Cologne, shipping shouldn't be too bad either. So we're looking at roughly $67 everything included. Have you ever ordered through them before?
You can find some Taschen books locally through Barnes & Noble. For instance, there's a Renoir one for $63. (You can find them at stores in major cities like Chicago or NYC, and they have locations all over the country).

I haven't read that Kubrick one you're asking about, unfortunately.

Mark Wood79 said:They definitely have plenty! And the prices are great—$20 for a Renoir, or $15 for a Ford or Truffaut, which is practically nothing. Since the company is based out of Cologne, shipping shouldn't be too bad either. So we're looking at roughly $67 everything included. Have you ever ordered through them before?
You can find some Taschen books locally through Barnes & Noble. For instance, there's a Renoir one for $63. (You can find them at stores in major cities like Chicago or NYC, and they have locations all over the country).

I haven't read that Kubrick one you're asking about, unfortunately.

I haven't ordered online, but back when I was visiting Chicago, I picked some up:



I’m honestly a little intimidated to even step foot into a high-end boutique like that. 😁My plan is to grab a few more things toward the end of January. Honestly, the cheapest way to do it is just to walk into one of their physical stores—though you don't even have to go to an official one, since pretty much any decent bookstore in the US carries most of the Taschen catalog. That way, you completely dodge the shipping fees, customs, and sales tax (plus, you might even get a refund on the tax if you play your cards right). Besides, nobody is going to pull you over at the state line to check your book haul.

Christian Taylor3 said:It’s probably a lost cause, but I figured I’d ask anyway. Has anyone here actually pulled the trigger on this absolute monstrosity? 😲

"I think the title says it all: 'Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.' This is something so fantastic, that I want to stay alive at least till this book comes out this fall. This is the ultimate obsessive book on Kubrick with respect to his research and thoughts on a film he never made. Documentation, the script, his notes, landscape photos, costumes, you name it and it's all in this incredible book. I saw parts of it at the TASCHEN office, and it's superb. Really superb."

There's even a little clip if you want to see it in action:



The big film book everyone's been buzzing about all year. It’s large enough that you could practically use it as a coffee table—it might even be bigger than Mrs. Kubrick 😁 herself. Price tag: $550.00 😢

Thank God they offer plenty of options so us broke folks can afford 🙂something else
instead.

That book—which is really about that movie Kubrick was supposed to make... correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there all this talk about it being a Napoleon epic starring Jack Nicholson? Something like that, right?🤷

Mark Wood79 said:I’m in the same boat, though I decided to treat myself to just one book this holiday season. Amazon is honestly dangerous—you start browsing their curated collections and suddenly your head is spinning with everything you want to buy. That said, I still trust the Criterion Collection more than anyone else.
It looks like nobody has picked up that Wakeman book yet, and it's a bit pricey right now, so I guess I'll wait and see... maybe I'll order it in a month or two.

Exactly. Like I mentioned before, I just wanted to ask about that one book that caught my eye, and it felt silly to start an entirely new thread just for that. Besides, your site covers so much ground anyway—it's not just books, but interviews, deep dives into the classics, and all sorts of background info.

Roughly how much does that run? What's the exact title? Are you positive they have it in stock? If so, I'd probably go out and grab it tomorrow. I've realized lately that my actual library at home is pretty thin—and I'm talking real books, not just photocopies or whatever.

It's called "The Nature of Film," split into two slim volumes, and you can grab the whole set for about $27.
And this goes for both you and briskhound2: this is part of that "Screen Arts" series, which basically curated every essential film studies book ever written. The only headache (similar to trying to find old issues of *Sight & Sound*) is that they’re incredibly rare. But every once in a while, you strike gold. Unlike *Film Comment*, which is basically impossible to track down! In four years of collecting, I’m only missing about ten books from their total collection of thirty.
Whether you borrow it or buy it, it’s easily one of the best collections ever put together in the States. From a purely cinematic and bibliographic standpoint, it was a world-class project. You've got names like Krakauer, Bazin, Mitry, Cohn-Seegrim, Birley, Lotman, and Bazin all represented in "Screen Arts." For some reason, though, the stuff by [Author Name] was published separately, even though it was originally supposed to be part of the series.

Bottom line? It doesn't get better than this. Borrowing vs. buying is almost irrelevant here. Just read it.