The Celluloid Paper Trail: Identification and Description of Twentieth Century Film Scripts (Signed First Edition)

New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2019. First Edition. First Edition. Hardcover, illustrated boards. SIGNED by the author on the title page.

"The Celluloid Paper Trail: Identification and Description of Twentieth Century Film Scripts" is the first book ever published on film script identification and description. Lavishly illustrated and detailed, designed for any book scholar, including collectors, archivists, librarians, and dealers.

Foreword by Tony Bill, Academy Award-winning producer, director, and actor. Illustrated in color with over 130 examples of scripts of films in every genre. With an index that references proper terminology located throughout the book.

The film script is an example of rare book that defies nearly every norm. It is issued, not published, and rather than having the properties of a traditional first edition, a given script is instead one of many drafts that fit within the development and production of a motion picture. Adding to its complexity is the fact that methods and styles of issuance and printing changed considerably over the course of the 20th century.

"The Celluloid Paper Trail" is the first book published specifically to aid scholars in the identification and description of the 20th century film script. Visually sumptuous, methodical, detailed, and entertaining, this study is designed to help the rare book scholar ask questions, identify, and comprehend both the content, construction, and history of American and British film scripts. Scripts considered in the book range from the 1920s to the 1980s, the period during which the art of cinema was birthed, developed, and perfected.

Topics covered in the book:

Overview of the filmmaking process as it relates to script development.

Script identification with respect to the different roles of cast and crew.

Bindings, printing, duplication, and identification of later reproductions.

Understanding various technical annotations made in scripts.

Understanding scripts from historical and thematic perspectives.

Detailed breakdown of a sample script, using various reference tools.

Sample visual history of scripts, with dozens of examples.

Purple Illustrated paper covered boards, titles in gilt, no dust jacket as issued. 232 pages. 8.5 x 11 inches.