I do so love my biographical collections! This one focuses on the stars of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s but since a lot of those talented folks started in the silents, it is a great addition to my bookshelf. I highly recommend it for golden age film buffs as well. Actually, not just buffs. This book would be ideal for a newcomer to classic movie watching.
What is it?: An oversized book with pictures and mini-biographies of the movie stars who worked from 1930-1959. Select stars are given biographical sections while the rest are given a high-quality still and a small blurb. Where possible, the authors list what the star was doing as of the book’s publication in 1974. The selection of who gets a biography seems pretty arbitrary but most of the big stars (and quite a few more minor performers!) are covered.
Pictures: Stuffed to the gills with great images. It is particularly useful in putting a name to a face that keeps cropping up in supporting parts.
Writing style: Pretty utilitarian. The biographical sections are just the facts, ma’am. This is like IMDB in paper form. There is no index but the stars are listed in alphabetical order.
This book is readily available and quite affordable. I highly recommend adding it to your collection.
Movies Silently 