Those lovely people at Titan Books – longtime purveyors of, among other things, the market’s finest film and television books – have absolutely spoiled us with their October slate. Dear readers, you better start making some space on your bookshelf because you’re going to want to add all of these to your collection.
Starting with the most recent subject, Jada Yuan’s Unleashing Oppenheimer: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Explosive Atomic Age Thriller delves into the enormous production of the IMAX®-shot epic. Much like the film, this packed book is monumental in length and covers every aspect of the film from inception (no Nolan pun intended) to script, to screen – and indeed everything in between. Loaded with extensive and exclusive interviews, the book is the definitive story of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece.
Next up, horror fans will find plenty of grisly delight in Abbie Bernstein’s Halloween: The Official Making of Halloween, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends and John Walsh’s The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film.
Bernstein’s Halloween tome is a particularly nice surprise – considering the somewhat mixed reception to the second and third films in the trilogy, it is lovely to see the films treated with this much respect and love. The third film was especially panned by fans and critics alike (despite being the best Halloween film since 1978), which could’ve rang the death knell for the trilogy ever getting this kind of book. Praise be to Titan Books and Abbie Bernstein for making it happen, and hopefully inviting the trilogy’s naysayers to reappraise the films or at the very least appreciate the enormous passion and reverence for Halloween that the creative team had.
Walsh’s wonderful book on Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man is an incredibly comprehensive look at The Wicker Man with an absolute goldmine of wonderful rare set photography (never-before-seen in such high quality). As the beloved cult classic celebrates its 50th anniversary and makes its long-awaited 4K UHD debut, this beautiful book is an indispensable companion – especially the handy chart that compares and contrasts the film’s three cuts. The Wicker Man is my favourite film of all time, and this magnificent book is packed with archive materials that I had never seen before. It is a book I will treasure.
Finally, Laurent Bouzereau’s Spielberg: The First Ten Years freshly examines what is easily the most impeccable start to any filmmaking career. Packed with new insight into the production history of films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark – to name but a small few! – this is as much a love letter to Spielberg as it is a study. Unique to this book compared to the others covered in this article is the facsimiles of various nuggets of Spielberg history that can be examined throughout, giving a ‘pop-up book’ experience. It’s something Titan have become somewhat known for, and is exciting every time you come upon some other little gem tucked and folded away in the book waiting to be discovered.
As usual for Titan Books, all four of these releases are beautifully produced – their quality is unparalleled. Each book oozes a feeling of luxury from the first page to the last, with stunning printing in their chunky, weighty hardback finishes. Each book is generously loaded with flawlessly reproduced photography, too, with the large size making every page feel like a work of art.
Titan Books continue to be masters of their craft, and their October slate offers something for everyone. Absolutely incredible books that will each be essential parts of my library going forward.
More info on Oppenheimer | Halloween | The Wicker Man | Spielberg can be found at the hyperlinks