Books are a great way to learn about the fascinating world of movie poster collecting and represent an inexpensive way to enjoy hundreds of movie posters of your favourite films at home. However, not all books are created equal, so I have compiled a list of some of the best movie poster books ever published based on personal preference and other collectors recommendations. All Poster Forum has an excellent thread devoted to movie poster books and is well worth a read with personal opinions covering some of the books in our guide.
The best place I have found for movie poster books is Amazon — with a collection of several hundred titles covering all genres and categories, you are sure to find one you will love. The books featured in our guide to movie poster books are some of the most highly rated books and the titles cover a wide range of different areas from the history of movie posters to personal collections of movie posters in pictures. These books are a must for any collector and serve as an illustrated guide to both new and established movie poster collectors.
A great starter book for any collector is Learn About Movie Posters by Ed & Susan Poole, although originally released in 2003 the subjects covered still remain relevant today. The authors are the owners of the online resource Learn About Movie Posters (LAMP) and very well respected within the poster collecting community. Learn About Movie Posters, answers the important questions collectors need to know about and is an essential guide to those thinking of starting a movie poster collection. The book has 448 pages and represents a complete guide covering areas such as the birth of the movie poster, different sizes and types of movie posters, how are posters produced and distributed, grading the conditions, how to buy and sell movie posters and how to care for your collection.
Investing in a book such as this is essential for those thinking of starting a movie poster collection. It is important to note that collecting movie posters is an expensive hobby and an investment in itself, therefore, it is essential to be fully informed.
100 Movie Posters: The Essential Collection
by Tony Nourmand
World vintage movie poster expert Tony Nourmand shares his personal selection of the 100 greatest, most essential movie posters of all time. Features stunning images from designers such as Saul Bass, Paul Rand and Bill Gold and classic movie titles like The Man With the Golden Arm, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Goldfinger and Metropolis (which holds the world record for the most expensive poster ever sold). Beautiful and diverse imagery from around the world with accompanying photographs and text.
A Century of Movie Posters: From Silent to Art House
by Emily King
Film buffs, graphic designers, and art students will relish this beautifully produced and strikingly illustrated volume. Arranged in roughly chronological order, it brings together movie posters from around the world, starting with Charlie Chaplin film ads and the Russian Revolutionary movie posters of the 1910s, then spanning the century to show posters publicizing hits of the 1990s, including “The Silence of the Lambs,” Spike Lee films, and many more. The book has sections focus on renowned individual designers, directors, movies, and genres. Important poster designers such as Saul Bass, Jan Lenica, and Juan Gatti receive particular attention, as do great directors who had strong opinions about how their films should be represented. Among the latter are Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Otto Preminger.
Alternative Movie Posters
by Matthew Chojnacki
Over the years the motion picture industry has (sadly) gravitated to generating poorly cropped and heavily airbrushed posters that rely far too often on celebrity head shots. Thankfully, an underground network of graphic designers and artists has reinvigorated the art of the movie poster, crafting stunning pieces for classic and cult films. Here is the first comprehensive look at the movement, presenting this eclectic and dynamic medium through more than 200 eye-popping posters from over 100 cutting-edge artists, coupled with fascinating commentary and behind-the-scenes information. These new, underground posters have quickly become the most coveted by ardent moviegoers; they are typically produced in very limited runs, sell out within minutes, and command upwards of several hundred dollars each. With a smart, fresh visual perspective, alternative movie posters celebrate classics like Star Wars, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining as well as cult favorites: The Big Lebowski, Blade Runner, and Pink Flamingos.
Alternative Movie Posters II
by Matthew Chojnacki
This second volume of cinematic eye candy further documents the quickly burgeoning underground film poster movement, a group of artists who challenge Hollywood’s marketing machine by bringing clever artwork and design back to movie posters. Nearly 100 emerging artists, with a dozen returning favorites, present their newly produced images. Cinematic visual masters Jason Edmiston, Gary Pullin, Akiko Stehrenberger, Randy Ortiz, Brandon Schaefer, Gabz, Dave Perillo, Chris Garofalo, Anthony Petrie, Godmachine, Tracie Ching, Clark Orr, Orlando Arocena, Steve Dressler, Paul Shipper, Tom Hodge, Luke Insect, and more additionally provide commentary and behind-the-scenes information. Movies illustrated include classics like Vertigo, Rosemary’s Baby, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, more recent hits such as Her and Drive, cult favorites Dazed and Confused and Donnie Darko, and childhood staples Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Labyrinth.
The Art of Mondo
by Matthew Chojnacki
Over the years, Mondo has received global recognition for its incredible art posters that bring to life classic films, TV shows, and comics in a refreshing and utterly striking new way, offering a unique perspective on everything from Star Wars to Robocop, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Game of Thrones, Godzilla, Kill Bill, and many, many more. For the first time, The Art of Mondo will bring together this much sought-after art in one deluxe volume that showcases the incredible ingenuity of the studio’s diverse stable of artists whose vastly different styles are united by one guiding principle: limitless passion for their subject matter. This richly imaginative work is fueled by a love of pop culture that fans recognize and identify with, giving Mondo’s output a rare and valuable synergy with its audience. While these posters are normally produced in a limited quantity and sell out in minutes, The Art of Mondo will allow fans to explore the studio’s remarkable back catalog, including Olly Moss’s iconic Star Wars trilogy work, Laurent Durieux’s brilliantly subtle Jaws poster, and Tyler Stout’s Guardians of the Galaxy art. Other key Mondo artists such as Jock, Martin Asin, and Aaron Horkey will also feature. Definitive, visually stunning, and filled with art that celebrates some of the biggest and best loved properties in pop culture, The Art of Mondo will be the ultimate book for cult art fans everywhere.
Art of the B Movie Poster
by Adam Newell, Pete Tombs, Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, Eric Schaefer, Simon Sheridan, Vern
Exploding off the page with over 1,000 of the best examples of exploitation, grindhouse, and pulp film poster design comes The Art of the B Movie Poster, a collection of incredible posters from low-budget films from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Once relegated to the underground and midnight movie circuit, these films and their bombastic advertisements are experiencing a surge of mainstream popularity driven by fans appreciative of the artistic skill, distinctive aesthetic, and unabashed sensationalism they relied on to make a profit, with the quality of the poster often far surpassing that of the film itself. The book celebrates this tradition with sections divided into “moral panic” films, action, horror, sci-fi, and of course, sex, each introduced with short essays by genre experts such as Kim Newman, Eric Schaefer, Simon Sheridan, Vern, and author Stephen Jones, winner of the Horror Writer’s Association 2015 Bram Stoker Award for Non- Fiction. Edited by Adam Newell and featuring an introduction by author and filmmaker Pete Tombs, The Art of the B Movie Poster is a loving tribute to the artwork and artists that brought biker gangs, jungle girls, James Bond rip-offs and reefer heads to life for audiences around the world.
Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years
by Tony Nourmand
Audrey Hepburn’s legendary style and grace, first seen by the public in her 1953 debut, Roman Holiday, redefined perceived notions of Hollywood glamour and ushered in an age of sophistication and elegance. Her legacy on screen and in fashion is undisputed and her image has become as synonymous with her fame as her films. Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years collects for the first time those memorable billboard images which established Hepburn’s iconic status. Featuring the golden period of her film career, this sumptuous book includes never-before-seen poster artwork for Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face and Breakfast At Tiffany’s along with magazine covers from the period, lobby cards, Givenchy’s stunning original costume sketches and rare behind-the-scenes stills from Audrey Hepburn’s Paramount films. With a foreword written by Sir Christopher Frayling, Chair of Arts Council England and Rector of the Royal College of Art, this book shows, film by film, how Hepburn’s classic image was created through a combination of exquisitely designed costume, beautiful photography and illustration and an elegance that has stood the test of time.
Bill Gold Posterworks
by Christopher Frayling, Tony Nourmand , Jake Noakes, Clint Eastwood (Foreword)
Bill Gold: PosterWorks is a celebration of his extraordinary and prolific talent. Bill Gold’s life’s work spans six decades and over two thousand films. He is the man behind campaigns for the greatest movies the world has ever seen. With a foreword from long-time collaborator and friend, Clint Eastwood, Bill Gold is a unique collector’s opus detailing the artist’s creative process, his army days, early career, posters for Elia Kazan, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut through to his final work in 2003 on Eastwood’s Mystic River. Archivist of his own work, with a personal collection of unseen designs, alternative versions, sketches, drafts, notes and photographs, Bill Gold’s incredible history has never been accessible to the public until now. A notoriously cut-throat industry, Hollywood evolves with few constants yet Bill Gold’s talent endures. At 89 years old, this is the first time that the world is invited to see the full scope of his life’s work in one breathtaking book.
Bollywood Posters
by Jerry Pinto, Sheena Sippy
On the streets of the vibrant and anarchic city of Mumbai, the film poster is a familiar splash of colour. It is an invitation to the pleasures of Bollywood, the worlds largest film industry. This most democratic of art forms meets one of the worlds most exciting cinema industries and the result is an explosion of colour, form and typography. Bollywoods film posters have had a long and glorious history that is only now being recognized and noted, and is brilliantly celebrated here in this lavish volume. Bollywood Posters is a must-have for film buffs, graphic designers and art-lovers.
British Film Posters: An Illustrated History
by Sim Branaghan, Stephen Chibnall
The first complete history of illustrated film posters in the UK covers every aspect of design, printing and display from the Victorian era to the arrival of DeskTop Publishing in the 1980s. British Film Posters examins the contribution ‘vintage’ film posters have made to British popular art of the 20th century.
Charlie Chaplin Movie Poster Book
by Jake Lenburg
He has been called “arguably the single most important artist produced by the cinema, certainly its most extraordinary performer and probably still its most universal icon” For moviegoers, he was simply, Charlie Chaplin, who won their hearts and made them split their sides in laughter when he portrayed the Little Tramp, his most memorable iconic onscreen character in silent films. Chaplin wasn’t only the Little Tramp. He was a comic genius whom produced, directed and wrote most of his, even later composing the music for him. He was the total filmmaker. The “Charlie Chaplin Movie Poster Book” captures the imagination and genius of one of the most important figures of the film industry, presenting, for the first time, more than 50 vintage movie posters in print. Each poster or poster art is presented in the highest possible quality. All are sharp and in full color. The book is divided into eight sections. The first five are by the studios or distribution companies, in chronological order: Keystone, Essanay, Mutual, First National, United Artists. Then there are British Productions, Foreign Releases and Compilation Films. Each section includes a brief biographical sketch. Each poster includes the year the movie was made. The “Charlie Chaplin Movie Poster Book” is a fitting tribute to a true film pioneer, a legend, whose timeless films will never fade, but continue to entertain and inspire audiences for generations to come. Full Color on White Paper
Clark Gable Movie Poster Book
by Abby Books
He was known as “The King of Hollywood” and is best remembered for his role as Rhett Butler in the epic Civil War historical romance drama, Gone with the Wind (1939). He was the iconic and legendary Clark Gable. Between 1931 and 1960, Gable appeared in a total of 67 theatrically released motion pictures, including the pioneering screwball comedy of all time, It Happened One Night (1934), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. The Clark Gable Movie Poster Book features original one sheet posters from these classic feature length films. (Vintage still photographs or other poster art are substituted in the cases where high quality posters were unavailable.) All of Gable’s feature films are represented in the book, including Red Dust (1932), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) for which he was nominated an Academy Award for Best Actor, Manhattan Melodrama (1934), San Francisco (1936), Saratoga (1937) Boom Town (1940, Mogambo (1953) and The Misfits (1961), which marked his and his co-star Marilyn Monroe’s last screen appearances. Also included are films with Gable’s popular leading ladies of his screen career that included Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, Norma Shearer and more.
Clint Eastwood Icon: The Essential Film Art Collection
by David Frangioni
This book assembles an unprecedented selection of film art that spans Eastwood’s entire career – from the 1950s to the present. Culling together over 400 pieces amassed by collector David Frangioni, this trove of promotional artwork gathers together posters, lobby cards, studio ads, and other marketing ephemera that have been used to advertise and define Eastwood’s films and image throughout the world. From his early roles as the nameless gunslinger in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, to the vigilante films of the 1970s and 1980s, through his maturation into a major American director, this study in film iconology by Frangioni and film historian Thomas Schatz documents and assesses the stunning art that has helped make Eastwood a powerful presence and a truly classic figure of cinema.
Disney Movie Posters
by Kevin Luperchio
Anyone who has ever seen a Disney movie knows that the iconic images are beautifully conveyed via the magnificent posters. The tone of the movie and the full range of emotions we experience in seeing the film are often captured in a single poster. After having seen and experienced a wonderful Disney motion picture, the mere sight of the poster can bring back the feelings of having taken the journey by watching the film. Disney Movie Posters is a tribute to those posters, which tell the story both before and after we see the movie.
Drew Struzan: Oeuvre
by Drew Struzan, Dylan Struzan
Drew Struzan has created some of the most iconic movie posters of the last 30 years, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Blade Runner. This sumptuous hardcover edition, with a foreword by George Lucas, features over 250 pieces of artwork, including all of Drew’s most iconic movie images, as well as other highlights from his career, including album, book and comic book covers, stamps, trading cards, promotional artwork and very personal original works. The book comes right up to date, including exclusive San Diego Comic-Con poster art produced for the Walking Dead television series (2010) and the Cowboys & Aliens movie (2011), with text by his wife Dylan, providing an intimate look at the man and his legacy. The definitive collection of Struzan’s work; this is an absolute must-have for any movie buff and an unrivalled slice of both art and cinema history.
Elvis Presley Movie Poster Book
by Greg Lenburg
Elvis Presley was the King. The King of Rock and Roll. He “rocked” on No. 1 recording albums, on television shows to screaming fans, and in sell-out live performances on stage everywhere. Perhaps little known and little remembered by some, he was also a box office star. The “Elvis Presley Movie Poster Book” celebrates Presley’s 31 feature films by presenting, for the first time, in full color, posters from each of his films, including his two concert performance documentaries. The book begins with Presley’s first acting role in 1956’s “Love Me Tender” and ends with 1972’s “Elvis on Tour.” All of his successful films are represented here: “King Creole” (1958), “Jailhouse Rock” (1957), “Flaming Star” (1960) and more. While the King is long gone, his films, like his music, live on as a record of those achievements. The “Elvis Presley Movie Poster Book” is just that.
Selling the Movie: The Art of the Film Poster
by Ian Haydn Smith
Showcasing the best movie posters by the top designers in the field, this rich visual history of the film poster charts the evolution from the earliest days to the present, explaining how they were used to sell both films and the stars, and how they lured audiences to cinemas across the globe to make an industry. Understand how posters enhance the brand of a movie or a star, and how they represent the crossover between creatives with this stylish art book. With insights on movie genres, influential designers, Hollywood politics and the impact of typography, this visually stunning book reveals how a powerful advertising medium became an artform itself and changed the face of graphic design.
Film Posters of the 30s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
The 1930s were the cinema’s age of innocence when, despite the miseries of the Grant Depression, or perhaps because of them, the emphasis was on escapism and entertainment. With the coming of the talkies, the Marx Brothers and Laurel & Hardy had supplanted Chaplin as the kings of slapstick comedy. Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn were Bringing up Baby, Busby Berkely’s precision-drilled chorus girls were Flying Down to Rio, Fred Astaire was donning his Top Hat and John Wayne was climbing on the Stagecoach to stardom. This was also the decade that set the mould for the Hollywood of the future, firmly establishing a range of genres such as the Western, the gangster movie, the screwball comedy and the musical, while stars like Grant and Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo became international icons. As this stunning collection of poster art confirms, the 30s were also the age of the illustrator, with Al Hirschfield, Hap Hadley and the incomparable Alberto Vargas setting new standards in graphic design. Colour may only just have been making its first appearance on the screens inside the cinemas, but on the hoardings outside the hues were bright and vibrant as never before.
Film Posters of the 40s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
From the iconic “Casablanca” to Orson Welles’s seminal “Citizen Kane”, from the optimistic “It’s a Wonderful Life” to the exotic “Thief of Baghdad”, the films of the 1940s are now recognized as some of the greatest of all time. Just as the forties was the decade hailed nostalgically ever since as Hollywood’s golden age, it also saw the emergence of a dark new undercurrent in pop culture – the sinister world of gumshoes, gangsters, double-crossing dames, and blind alleys that comprised film noir. Long before the era of the television trailer and satellite media junket, studios lured audiences to theaters with graphically bold poster art, gorgeously illustrated by classically trained artists adept at capturing the nuances of Veronica Lake’s seductive glance, Humphrey Bogart’s world-weary eyes, Bette Davis’s icy stare, and hundreds of other stars at their best and most glamorous. All of the era’s legendary stars are included in this volume: Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum, Barbara Stanwyck, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Marlene Dietrich, and more. “Film Posters of the 40s” brings to life in lavish full-color an era in film history that will never be forgotten.
Film Posters of the 50s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
This work includes the best, the sexiest, the coolest film posters from the 1950s: from “Some Like it Hot” to “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”; from “La Strada” to “Roman Holiday”. The superb posters in this book present the full range of images-from stark to sizzling-that enticed international cinema audiences in the 1950s. Faced with the new challenge of television, studios conjured up a host of new attractions: Cinemascope, Vista-Vision and 3D, the curves of Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch” and “Some Like It Hot” and the moody figure of James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause”. And then there was the elegant Cary Grant, at his peak in films like “To Catch a Thief” and “North by Northwest”. The “New Wave” was starting to break-with such European imports as “La Strada” and “Black Orpheus”. This was also the era of the great science fiction film: “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, and “Forbidden Planet”. With more than 250 full-color posters from all over the world and commentary by two leading experts on poster art, “Film Posters of the 50s” is a must have for all film buffs as well as anyone interested in graphic design and advertising.
Film Posters of the 60s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
The 60’s bought Sean Connery as James Bond to the screens. Rock stars like The Beatles also made movies. Films like “Cool Hand Luke”, “The Graduate”, “Dracula”, “Night of the Living Dead”, “The Endless Summer”, “2001 a Space Odyssey”, “Ocean’s 11” along with a heap of Westerns and World War movies like “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Great Escape” have stood the test of time. Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman and others went up on walls for the first time in the 60’s and you can put them up again today.
Film Posters of the 70s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
The editors have compiled a stunning selecti on of the best film posters from around the world – a select ion that encapsulates the spirit of the 70s and reminds us o f the vast and variegated contribution that the decade made to the history of the cinema.
Film Posters of the 80s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
The 1980s was a decade in which filmmakers pulled put all the stops to dazzle audiences and make them jump out of their seats. And just as they marked the development of the special effects technology that sparked a wave of blockbuster films, the Eighties also saw the advent of the cutting edge computer techniques used by graphic artists in the promotional posters for these unforgettable films. It was the decade when filmmakers finally had the technology to transfer their visions to the screen, challenging graphic artists and illustrators to catch up, and many of its most enduring images are represented in this volume: the glow behind the lenses of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gargoyle-framed sunglasses that characterized the monolithic menace of “The Terminator”; the sarcastically simple crossed-out cartoon ghost that enticed audiences into the theaters to see “Ghostbusters”; the silhouette of the mysterious, domino-clad stranger that haunts the unbalanced mind of “Mozart in Amadeus”; the wisp of cigarette smoke that bisects the image of Sean Young’s stoic face on the poster for “Blade Runner”; and many more. The poster art presented in this volume represents the work of a new generation of graphic artists and designers, equipped for the first time with a brand new technology, in collaboration with visionary filmmakers – from Spielberg to Kurosawa, from Cameron to Ramis, from Foreman to Attenborough – who continually managed to keep our eyes riveted to the screen.
Film Posters of the 90s: The Essential Movies of the Decade
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
Whatever your taste in movies, the filmmakers of the 1990s had it covered. On the one hand, the big studios took advantage of the ever-increasing sophistication of computer-generated imagery to produce spectacular, mega-budget ‘event’ movies like “Titanic”, “The Matrix” and “Mission: Impossible”; on the other, a new generation of independents like Tarantino and the Coen Brothers was winning its spurs with low-tech and often low-budget productions such as “Reservoir Dogs” and “The Big Lebowski”. Spielberg turned his attention to the Second World War with “Saving Private Ryan”, Eastwood and Costner gave the Western a new lease of life with “Unforgiven” and “Dances With Wolves”, and the Brits chipped in with two unexpected successes, “The Full Monty” and “Trainspotting”. From the eerie psychosis of “The Silence Of The Lambs” to the romantic fantasy “Pretty Woman”, this was a decade that offered something for everyone. Hollywood may have become besotted by all things digital, but print on paper, in the form of the poster, remained one of the most important means of promoting movies of all kinds, and the poster artists of the 90s proved that they could still produce striking and alluring images. This book reproduces the pick of the decade.
Graven Images: The Best of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Film Art from the Collection Ronald V. Borst
by Ronald V. Borst, Keith Burns, Leith Adams, Margaret A. Borst
Ghouls, goblins, mummies, vampires, werewolves, zombies; mind-bending flights of fancy, apocalyptic visions of the future, electrifying jolts of supernatural fright, twisted glimpses of warped imagination… For most of the twentieth century, the film genre that has come to be known as “horror, fantasy, and science fiction” has produced not only the biggest thrills and chills but some of the greatest poster art ever. From seminal works such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) to such classics as Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931); from the cult “B” films of the Fifties through great Sixties blockbusters such as Psycho (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), the art created to promote these beloved films–some of which are cinematic classics, others second-rate curiosities–shines on long after the last flickering image has died on-screen. Ronald V. Bost has amassed nearly six decades worth of vintage film memorabilia, and in this book he reveals his extraordinary collection. As accompaniment, seven legendary authors of the fantastic offer their wit and wisdom. The book features more than 500 of the finest vintage film posters (and related memorabilia).
Humphrey Bogart Movie Poster Book
by Greg Lenburg
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” “Louis, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.” “Here’s looking at you, kid.” These famous movie quotes have become as iconic as the actor who spoke them. Through his performances in “The Maltese Falcon (1941),” “Casablanca (1942),” and “The Big Sleep (1946),” Humphrey Bogart became a cultural icon, establishing a memorable screen persona of “the hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side.” During a 30-year career, Bogart appeared in 75 films, entertaining audiences in many other memorable films including “To Have and Have Not” (1944); “Dark Passage” (1947) and “Key Largo” (1948), with his wife Lauren Bacall; and “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948); “In a Lonely Place (1950);” “The African Queen (1951)”, for which he won his only Oscar; “Sabrina” (1954); and “The Caine Mutiny” (1954). The “Humphrey Bogart Movie Poster Book” celebrates Bogie’s long film career by presenting posters and poster art from nearly 50 of his films, including all of his most memorable and iconic ones.
Ingrid Bergman Movie Poster Book
by Greg Lenburg
Ingrid Bergman, a three-time Academy Award-winning actress, “exemplified wholesome beauty and nobility to countless moviegoers,” wrote the New York Times. “Incandescent. Or radiant. Or luminous. Her performances were sincere, natural,” critics said. The “Ingrid Bergman Movie Poster Book” celebrates the film career of this beautiful, remarkable actress, best known for her roles in “Casablanca” (1942) and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious” (1946) with rare, full page color posters from nearly 40 of her films. Included are posters from her three Academy Award-winning roles, ”Gaslight” (1944) and ”Anastasia” (1956), for which she won best actress, and ”Murder on the Orient Express” (1974), for which she won best supporting actress. Also included are a sample of posters from her Swedish films of the early 1930s. The complete list of posters by film are: “Valborgsmässoafton” (1935/”Walpurgis Night”) “På solsidan” (1936/”On the Sunny Side”) “En kvinnas ansikte” (1938/”A Woman’s Face”) “Die Vier Gesellen” (1938/”The Four Companions”) “Intermezzo: A Love Story” (1939) “Juninatten” (1940/”June Night”) “Adam Had Four Sons” (1941) “Rage in Heaven” (1941) “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1941) “Casablanca” (1942) “For Whom The Bell Tolls” (1943) “Gaslight” (1944) “Saratoga Trunk” (1945) “Spellbound” (1945) “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945) “Notorious” (1946) “Arch of Triumph” (1948) “Joan of Arc” (1948) “Under Capricorn” (1949) “Stromboli” (1950) “Europa ‘51” (1952/”The Greatest Love”) “Giovanna d’Arco al rogo” (1954/”Joan of Arc at the Stake”) “Journey of Italy” (1954) “La Paura” (1954/”Fear”) “Elena et les hommes (1956/”Elena and Her Man”) “Indiscreet” (1958) “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness” (1958) “Goodbye Again” (1961) “The Visit” (1964) “The Yellow Rolls-Royce” (1964) “Cactus Flower” (1969) “A Walk in the Spring Rain” (1970) “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” (1973) “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974) “A Matter of Time” (1976) and “Autumn Sonata” (1978).
Italian Film Posters
by Dave Kehr
With a pride in fine printing and an innate predisposition toward the grand and passionate, Italy has produced some of the finest film posters in the world. These colorful images, startling in their freshness and boldness, arouse expectations of romance, mystery, action, or escape. Italian Film Posters is the first collection of these highly evocative images to be published in English. While Italian film posters are well known to European collectors and cinema lovers – and the work of artists such as Anselmo Ballester, Alfredo Capitani, and Luigi Martinati is displayed in museums and commands high prices at auction – they remain largely unknown to the American public. This overview of the Italian tradition begins with the Art Nouveau-influenced designs of the silent-film era, moves into the stunning stone lithographs of the 1930s and 1940s and concludes with the idiosyncratic creations made possible by offset printing in the 1950s and 1960s.
The volume opens with a lively and highly informative introduction by Dave Kehr, a New York-based film journalist who has written for the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News and currently writes for the The New York Times. The 128 color illustrations, including details of several of the posters, are organized thematically into six sections: “Fantasy & Adventure,” “The Musical,” “The Western,” “Melodrama,” “Film Noir,”and “The New Wave.” This organization invites many dramatic and unusual comparisons and contrasts. Included are examples of such film classics as L’Avventura, 8 1/2, French Cancun, Spellbound, Casablanca, The Lady from Shanghai, La Notte, Bicycle Thieves, and many others. Besides the films themselves, no other artifact of the film industry is more provocative than the poster. Film historians and archivists, moviegoers, poster collectors, and the general reader will find the images in this book captivating, amusing, sensual, and, often, astonishing.
James Bond Movie Posters: The Official 007 Collection
by Tony Nourmand
The guns, the girls, the gadgets, all the key ingredients of Bond –James Bond — are captured in this one-of-a-kind collection of movie posters. Gathered from the archives of Eon Productions and published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Bond movies and the release of the newest James Bond movie, James Bond Movie Posters depicts in hot type and bold color four decades of our favorite spy in action. Film-goers first encountered the trademark gun barrel logo on the poster for Dr. No, produced in 1962 to promote the first official Bond movie. Then followed the famous image of Bond with a gun across his chest on the poster for From Russia with Love, Goldfinger’s startling golden girl, and the inimitable Pussy Galore. These images have become some of the most memorable visual teasers in cinematic history and are now one of the hottest items of memorabilia among both Bond aficionados and movie collectors. This collection features over 200 original posters, including posters that were never released, limited edition festival posters, and rare advance posters. They are all meticulously reproduced in this oversized, full-color paperback. “James Bond is back in action! Everything he touches turns to excitement!”
Movie Poster Artists
by Ed Poole, Susan Poole
This first-of-its-kind reference book takes a look at the unsung heroes of the film industry. The multi-billion dollar film industry has always relied on consumers coming to see their films. Press books and film credits lists everyone who had anything to do with the film, EXCEPT the fantastic artists that were responsible for putting people in the theater seats – THE MOVIE POSTER ARTISTS. Unlike other types of art, this phenomenal artwork was designed to capture the soul of the film and entice consumers to BUY TICKETS, which was the foundation of the entire industry. But, for some unknown reason, most movie studios have tried to ignore or conceal the identity of these great artists. Many of these eye-catching masterpieces are instantly recognized by millions of people around the world, such as Jaws, E.T., Star Wars, Star Trek, Evil Dead, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and thousands more. This first 420 page volume takes a look at 242 movie poster artists from the United States and Canada, listing the 3000 movie titles they created posters for. Also included are biographies, photos, signatures and almost 2500 photos of their finished movie posters. A title index is also provided for easier research.
Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act Of Seeing
by Alan Jones, Nicolas Winding Refn
Nicholas Rfen is a Cannes Palm d’Or winning director with a mission: to preserve the legacy of low-budget filmmaking. This volume chronicles Rfen’s unprecedented collection of rare American film posters, with detailed historical context provided for each.
Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen
by Stephen Rebello, Richard Allen
The decades between 1910 and 1950 were the golden age of the American movie poster, an era when films were promoted through the talents of illustrators like Thomas Hart Benton and Norman Rockwell. A selection of these posters, many never before published, is presented in this miniature volume.
X-Rated Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s
by Tony Nourmand
Sex sells! Since moving pictures were invented, nothing promotes a movie better than unashamedly sexual advertising. Featuring over 350 orgasmic posters, pressbooks and stills from the Golden Age of the X-rated movie, this volume is an inspiration for graphic designers and creatives alike, an invaluable time-capsule for historians, and an irresistible page-turner for everyone else. Gloriously retro, this wonderfully curated collection is a new and expanded celebration of Nourmand and Marsh’s original cult bestseller, X-Rated Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s, released over a decade ago. Featuring the crème de la crème of X posters, it is destined to become a cult classic and is an absolute must-have.
Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures
by Tony Nourmand
Reynold Brown is best known for his work in the film industry, creating over 300 movie posters for such classic horror and science fiction titles as Creature from the Black Lagoon, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Spartacus, The House on Haunted Hill, and many more. This book features an overview of his entire career with over 500 illustrations and vintage photographs.
Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design
by Jennifer Bass, Pat Kirkham
This is the first book to be published on one of the greatest American designers of the 20th century, who was as famous for his work in film as for his corporate identity and graphic work. Saul Bass (1920-1996) created some of the most compelling images of American postwar visual culture. Having extended the remit of graphic design to include film titles, he went on to transform the genre. His best-known works include a series of unforgettable posters and title sequences for films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder. He also created some of the most famous logos and corporate identity campaigns of the century, including those for major companies such as AT&T, Quaker Oats, United Airlines and Minolta. His wife and collaborator, Elaine, joined the Bass office in the late 1950s. Together they created an impressive series of award-winning short films, including the Oscar-winning Why Man Creates, as well as an equally impressive series of film titles, ranging from Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus in the early 1960s to Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear and Casino in the 1990s. Designed by Saul Bass’s daughter Jennifer and written by distinguished design historian Pat Kirkham, who knew Saul Bass, this book contains more than 1,400 illustrations, many from the Bass archive and never published before, providing an in-depth account of one of the leading graphic artists of the 20th century. This definitive study is eagerly anticipated by design and film enthusiasts.
Science Fiction Poster Art
by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh
Of all the movie genres, science fiction has provided poster artists with the greatest imaginative freedom and wildest sources of inspiration, and the artists have responded by creating some of their very best examples of their work, from the iconic figure of the female robot in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” to the familiar shapes of R2D2 and C3P0 from “Star Wars”. This collection, starting with the original 1912 French poster for “Conquest of the Pole”, features posters for all the sci-fi fans’ favourite movies: “2001”, “Bladerunner”, “Close Encounters”, “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”, “Forbidden Planet”, “Planet of the Apes”, “Rollerball” and series such as the “Star Wars”, “Star Trek” and “Alien” films, as well as lesser known or long-forgotten works like “Girl in the Moon”, “Invaders from Mars” and B-feature films featuring Flash Gordon and the 1940s American superheroes such as Superman and Batman. Moreover, although many of the films may be familiar, a fair proportion of the posters will not. For alongside the widely-used British and American posters the editors have juxtaposed the work, often previously unpublished in book form, of Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish and other foreign poster artists which frequently provides a startling and fascinating contrast to the posters that Western fans remember and cherish. Thus there are no less than eight posters for “Planet of the Apes”, British, US, French, two different German styles, and images from Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania – four different posters for “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, six different takes on “Barbarella” and eight efforts to capture the enigmatic message of “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
Star Wars Poster Book
by Stephen J Sansweet, Peter Vilmur
A definitive overview of 350 stunning Star Wars movie posters ranges from classic images from the original film to the latest posters from Episode III and includes behind-the-scenes stories from the artists and designers who created them, a guide to more than two thousand posters, tips on identifying fakes, and a detailed discussion of movie poster art.
The Art of Hammer – Posters from the Archive of Hammer Films
by Stephen J Sansweet, Peter Vilmur
Hammer Films were almost as well known for the way in which they sold their films, as for the films themselves. The Art of Hammer is the first ever collection of the company’s iconic movie posters, and is a celebration of movie art at its best. This large format, lavish hardback is now fully updated and brings together hundreds of rare posters from around the world, featuring Hammer’s greatest films.
The Art of Horror: An Illustrated History
by Stephen J Sansweet, Peter Vilmur
Amazingly, there has never been a book quite like The Art of Horror-a celebration of frightful images, compiled and presented by some of the genre’s most respected names. While acknowledging the beginnings of horror-related art in legends and folk tales, the focus of the book is on how the genre has presented itself to the world since the creations of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley first became part of the public consciousness in the 19th century. It’s all here: from early engravings-via dust jackets, book illustrations, pulp magazines, movie posters, comic books, and paintings-to today’s artists working entirely in the digital realm. Editor Stephen Jones and his stellar team of contributors have sourced visuals from archives and private collections (including their own) worldwide, ensuring an unprecedented selection that is accessible to those discovering the genre, while also including many images that will be rare and unfamiliar to even the most committed fan. From the shockingly lurid to the hauntingly beautiful-including images of vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, demons, serial killers, alien invaders, and more-every aspect of the genre is represented in ten themed chapters. Quotes from artists/illustrators, and a selection from writers and filmmakers, are featured throughout.
The Art of Japanese Monsters
by Sean Linkenback
For over 60 years, Japan has produced an incredible array of science fiction and fantasy films to delight generations of moviegoers. From the King of the Monsters, Godzilla, and the space monster Ghidorah, to the fire-breathing turtle Gamera, and invading armies of aliens. This is the book that gathers them all together: featuring movie poster art and advertising materials from more than 60 different films and over 1,000 color photos of items from 20 different countries.
The Art of John Alvin
by John Alvin, Andrea Alvin
John Alvin’s movie poster art is among the most iconic of the last 40 years, from Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio, to Empire of the Sun, The Goonies, Blazing Saddles, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars Celebration posters. This book not only collects some of Alvin’s finest work, but also includes previously unseen comprehensives and in progress sketches, accompanied by commentary from John’s wife, and his colleagues and admirers.
The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir
by Eddie Muller
The poster art from the noir era has a bold look and an iconography all its own. During noir’s golden age, studios commissioned these arresting illustrations for even the lowliest “B” thriller. The Art of Noir is the first book to present this striking artwork in a lavishly produced, large-format, full-color volume. The more than 300 dazzling posters and other promotional material range from the classics to rare archive films such as The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Blonde Kiss. With rare offerings from around the world and background information on the illustrators, The Art of Noir is the ultimate companion for movie buffs and collectors, as well as artists and designers.
The Art of Robert E McGinnis
by Robert E McGinnis
Robert McGinnis has earned international renown as a master illustrator by creating poster art for such movies as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, James Bond films (seven of them), Barbarella (starring Jane Fonda), The Odd Couple, and Cotton Comes to Harlem. And he’s a legendary book cover artist, having painted images for approximately 1,400 titles, from authors such as Lawrence Block, Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason crime case series), Carter Brown, John D. MacDonald, Thornton Wilder, Johanna Lindsey (romance novels), and Stephen King (Joyland special edition). Also, McGinnis has created illustrations for major magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping, as well as stunning gallery paintings of landscapes, Western scenes, and ladies.
Delving into private collections and personal archives, with many of the works shot from original paintings, The Art of Robert E. McGinnis opens the door to an unparalleled and illustrious career. One that continues to this day.
The Art of the Modern Movie Poster
by Kehr Salavetz, Judith Salavetz, Spencer Drate
This is the ultimate book for poster fans and film buffs around the world. With over 1500 international posters from 1945-2005 – often comparing interesting variations in the way the same movie was visually presented from country to another – this volume offers a definitive survey of both film and popular graphic art in the modern era, and is an absolute must-have for fans of either one. Drawn from the collection of the prestigious Posteritati Gallery in New York (one of the world’s foremost collections of movie posters), chapters introduce the design schools, quirks, and practices of various nations – from the U.S. to Poland to Japan to Turkey – and then illustrate the graphic output of each nation in a variety of posters.
Independent Movie Poster Book
by Spencer Drate, Judith Salavetz
Independent filmmakers have always challenged and inspired graphic designers, illustrators and photographers to showcase their movies in the most unique way. This is the first book devoted to showcasing their creative efforts, from the cult classic David Lynch’s Eraserhead to the latest sensation, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. It will be of value to poster collectors, graphic designers, and, of course, all film lovers. More than one hundred internationally recognized directors are profiled – including Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, The Coen Brothers, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodovar, Jean-Luc Godard, Lars von Trier, Peter Greenaway, Wong Kar Wai, and Takeshi Kitano, to name a few. Chosen based upon both their importance in the independent film movement and their visual excellence, this eclectic selection of posters includes previously unpublished designs from Poland, Spain, Japan, France, and elsewhere, all from the rich and diverse collection of the Posteritati Gallery in New York. The book also features a text by David Kehr, entertainment writer for The New York Times, which captures the creative excitement of independent films and their growing importance to the global cultural scene.
The Lost Artwork of Hollywood: Classic Images from Cinema’s Golden Age
by Fred E. Basten, Ted Sennett (Foreword)
Hollywood’s golden age is revealed from a different angle by this collection of advertising art. It depicts the posters created for promotion within the industry during the 1930s and 1940s, rather than the ones shown in the cinemas. See Rita Hayworth as she was photographed by “Gilda” (1946), and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers caught mid-air for “Follow the Fleet” (1936). Garbo, Gable, Tracy, Hepburn, and dozens more are featured in full-page or double-page four-colour spreads.
The Movie Posters of Drew Struzan
by Drew Struzan
Drew Struzan’s talent for capturing what is both human and heroic in the face of a movie character has made him the top Hollywood film campaign artist for the past 30 years. Struzan, “the last of the great poster artists,” according to The Boston Globe, has created the images for some of the biggest and most successful box office hits in cinematic history, including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Back to the Future, the complete Star Wars series, E.T., Blade Runner, Rambo, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Hook. This compilation of his cinematic art, accompanied by text explaining his particular vision of each character, features a foreword by the director George Lucas.
The World’s Rarest Movie Posters
by Drew Struzan
A perfect book for lovers of movies and movie posters. Over 300 color images of vintage movie posters include the extremely rare drive-in theater posters along with more common one-sheet size. These posters, often very different from the standard posters, were printed in smaller numbers, adding to their interest and value. All of these posters have less than ten known copies in existence, and many have only one or two known examples. Posters of such favorite movies as the “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” , “Rebel without a Cause”, and “The Seven Year Itch” are included, with iconic movie stars Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Director Alfred Hitchcock. Auction results from 1989-the present, and other pricing information make this a useful tool for collectors of posters who are trying to make informed purchasing decisions. Graphic designers will love it.
They’re Here Already! A Comprehensive Guide to 1950s Science Fiction Movie Posters
by James A. Gresham
If you loved the science fiction movies of the 1950s, you will love this book. War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Attack of the 50 ft. Woman, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and virtually every other great Sci Fi poster from the 1950s is pictured in this book. Not only are they pictured, but in virtually every size known. This book has over 1,500 pictures on 230 full-color pages, all found in one comprehensive, organized location. Never have these posters been assembled in one location before.
Translating Hollywood: The World of Movie Posters
by Sam Sarowitz, Dave Kehr
Translating Hollywood delivers a fresh perspective on movie posters by comparing posters from a film’s country of origin against versions created for foreign markets. Such an exercise demonstrates how the differences are about much more than language. Take the poster for the movie Tootsie as an example. The American version has an American flag backdrop, in front of which Dustin Hoffman, smiling away, is dressed in drag. The image is light-hearted and comedic. Compare this to the Polish poster for the movie: a face from the nose up is blurred; below the nose, a clear five oclock shadow and lips painted red. This image conjures a more subversive feeling. Such differences speak volumes for how cultural tendencies are reflected in graphic design. Translating Hollywood provides numerous, colorful examples of famous movie posters from the US, UK, Japan, Poland, France, Argentina and much of Eastern Europe.
VHS Video Cover Art
by Thomas Hodge
Video cover art is a unique and largely lost artform representing a period of unabashed creativity during the video rental boom of the 1980s to early 1990s. The art explodes with a succulent, indulgent blend of design, illustration, typography, and hilarious copywriting. Written and curated by Tom “The Dude Designs” Hodge, poster artist extraordinaire and VHS obsessive, with a foreword by Mondo’s Justin Ishmael, this collection contains over 240 full-scale, complete video sleeves in the genres of action, comedy, horror, kids, sci-fi, and thriller films. It’s a world of mustached, muscled men, buxom beauties, big explosions, phallic guns, and nightmare-inducing monsters. From the sublime to the ridiculous, some are incredible works of art, some are insane, and some capture the tone of the films better than the films themselves. All are amazing and inspiring works of art that captivate the imagination. It’s like stepping back in time into your local video store!
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History of Movie Posters
The movie poster is thought to have originated in the 1870s when Paris artist and lithographer, Jules Cheret, introduced a printing technique that produced images with intense colour and rich texture. By the early 1890s, Paris streets were plastered with lithographic images hawking everything from bicycles to cognac to circus performances. These artful graphics became […]
Common Movie Poster Sizes
Our rather fascinating world of movie posters has comprises of numerous poster sizes and various different styles over the years. They have ranged from a small postcard measuring roughly 7″ x 5″ all the way up to huge 24 Sheet billboard poster measuring 234″ x 106″. This article with covers what you need to know about the […]
Famous Movie Poster Artists
Normally, the artist is not identified on the film poster, and in many cases, the artist is anonymous. However, several artists have become well known because of their outstanding illustrations on film posters. Some artists, such as Drew Struzan, often sign their poster artwork and the signature is included on distributed posters. Here you will […]
Different Types and Styles of Movie Posters
Looking to find out about the different types and styles of movie posters? You have come to the right place, here will find information and examples of different styles of posters such as Advance/Teaser, Final, Characters, etc and types such as Double/Single Sided, Lenticular, Limited Edition, etc. Double/Single Sided Posters Advance/Teaser Posters Main/Final Posters Character Posters […]
What Is My Movie Poster Worth
Determining and assessing the value of movie posters can be inherently difficult, this is due to the subjective nature of posters and the value placed upon them. However, we can rely upon a number of factor such as authenticity, title, design and/or artist, condition and objectivity to help in determining the value. The first step to assessing poster […]
Collecting Movie Posters
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