Holiday Gifts for Movie Lovers: Books on Film

With Christmas fast approaching, if you’re anything like us, you’re probably starting to think about maybe thinking about doing some Christmas shopping. It’s cool. No rush. But what do you get the film geek who has everything when it comes to his DVD/Blu-ray collection? We collectors are a sick bunch, amassing hundreds if not thousands of discs, making it very hard for you to buy for us.

Fear not, friend, for there are other movie related gifts that are not in disc form! Once, long ago, entertainment was something printed on pages of paper and bound. These objects, called “books,” were on a variety of topics, including many near and dear to the film nerd’s heart!

So relax, check out this awesome selection of books for your film loving friends, and click on the image if you want to add it to your cart.

Hollywood Movie Stills

Priced at: $17

From Joel W. Finler, this attractive hardcover book examines the oft-overlooked still photography element of filmmaking.

Featuring many iconic frames and hundreds of recognizable actors and actresses, “Hollywood Movie Stills” is more than a picture book, it provides worthy text offering insight into the art and process of capturing cinematic stills. Black and white.

The Art and Making of Hotel Transylvania

Priced at: $22

Regardless of whether a movie turns out to be fantastic or forgettable, it’s always interesting to take a look at the process that started with an idea and some sketches and ended up a multi-million dollar picture.

This book from author Tracey Miller-Zarneke with a forward from director Genndy Tartakovsky is filled with color pictures, line drawings, sketches, set designs, and concept art of the re-imagined iconic creatures from the movie.

Firefly: A Celebration Anniversary Edition

Priced at: $33

An awesome gift for any diehard Browncoat and Firefly fan, the Anniversary Edition of “A Celebration”includes a whopping 544 pages filled with color photographs and complete scripts. It combines three popular Firefly books: Firefly: Companion Volume One, Firefly: Companion Volume Two, and Firefly: Still Flying. 

The book itself is big, heavy, and fantastic, simply and elegantly bound and wonderfully put together. It’s the essential, complete experience. As a bonus, there are a bunch of color photographs in a pocket on the back cover as well as a $10 back note based on the currency in the series.

Hitchcock (Truffaut)

Priced at: $17

With a renewed interest in Alfred Hitchcock launching several movies, a TV series, and a collected works Blu-ray/DVD set, it’s worth mentioning this book is a revised edition published in 1985 of an interview conducted by acclaimed director Francois Truffaut with Alfred Hitchcock in 1967. When I first got a job in Hollywood, a screenwriter gave me this simple advice: Buy this book. It’s the only one you’ll ever need.

Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion

Priced at: $27

Even when critics are down on Tim Burton, they always give him one thing: the man has amazing style. Dark Shadows was no different.

In the visual companion, from author Mark Salisbury with a a foreword from star Johnny Depp, an introduction from director Tim Burton, and an afterword from Richard D. Zanuck, the filmmaking process is documented from concepts to creation to behind the scenes technical glimpses. With a ton of great, color photographs, it’s a good pick-up for fans of the film or those involved in the making of it.

The Vampire Combat Manual

Priced at: $11

Following the popular and enjoyable “Zombie Combat Manual,”warrior-author Roger Ma sets his sights, and his silver and his stakes, on another creature of the undead: vampires. I very much enjoy Roger Ma’s methods of delivering information on the undead as he focuses on neglected areas of the literature – namely, killing the shit out of vampires and zombies.

While Max Brooks’ “Zombie Survival Guide” really started the resurgence in undead ‘factual’ literature, I found his books lacking in functional terms – his advice wasn’t really that good. On this side of things, Ma provides practical advice for weapon selection, vampire identification, and training. While the target is vampires, if you ran through some of the exercises in the book, you might find yourself slaying a few pounds off your midsection too.

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th

Priced at: $32

An oldie but a goodie for the horror fan in your life. Full of excellent pictures and wonderful insights into the making of the first ten Friday the 13th pictures, this hardbound book comes with a cool poster, a great design, and just makes for an excellent, in-depth read.

The Essential Supernatural

Priced at: $32

For horror fans, television doesn’t get much sweeter than Supernatural on the CW. Sure, True Blood gets to have more blood and naked people and American Horror Story is all sorts of creepy, but the adventures of Sam and Dean Winchester have the perfect mixture of creeps, scares, monster violence, rock and roll, and ass kicking.

If you’re a fan of the show, “The Essential Supernatural” is, well, essential. It’s a beautifully put-together book filled with color photography and stuffed, literally, with goodies. From maps to posters to hunter handbooks, “The Essential Supernatural” is easily my second favorite media book of the year and almost nabbed the top spot thanks to sections on the The Ghostfacers, a bunch of stickers, and refreshingly current content. This large bound book will make anyone’s Holiday season.

Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard

Priced at: $33

An absolute steal at around $30 from Amazon, “Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard” is my favorite movie related book of 2012, partly because it’s one of my all time favorite films and mostly because this massive, large bound 300+ page book is amazing. Every page is crammed with information and tons of pictures, from iconic images to behind the scenes glimpses and a look at the making of the movie.

What separates this book from others of its kind is the inclusion of memories and photographs not just from cast, crew, and production staff, but also of those who lived on the island during the filming of Jaws. You simply will not find a better gift for a movie lover or Jaws fan than this book right here.

Not into reading? Check out more gift ideas for movie lovers