By 
Happy New Year! Another year, another roundup of classic film books. This is my twelfth year doing these lists and I’m grateful that publishers continue to recognize the market for books about film history. 2026 marks Marilyn Monroe’s centennial so you’ll see plenty of titles about her here (with more coming in the second half of the year!). The BFI has increased their output of their BFI Film Classics series and there are some interesting new and updated editions coming out.
Are you new to my list? Here are the details. The books include biographies, memoirs, scholarly texts, coffee table books and more from a variety of publishers. For any scholarly books I make sure the ones included are affordable. There are also some reissues, expanded and paperback editions added to the bunch. Publication dates range from January 2026 to June 2026 and these are subject to change. These are U.S. release dates. International release dates and availability may vary. This is by no means a complete list.
Links go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Powell’s (note that a lot of Powell’s links will be missing as they’ve changed what they list and how far ahead they list). I receive a small commission if you shop through some (not all) of my buy links.
Happy reading!
JANUARY
9780806544380
A Star is Reborn
The Most Filmed Hollywood Story of Love Found and Lost
by Robert Hofler
Citadel
336 pages —January 2026
**Second Edition**
9781839029806
BFI Film Classics: Groundhog Day
by Ryan Gilbey
BFI
112 pages —January 2026
9781839029882
Shoah
BFI Film Classics
by Sue Vice
Bloomsbury/BFI
104 pages —January 2026
9780814259672
Crip Love Onscreen
Representations of Love, Sex, and Disability
by Sarah Rainey-Smithback
Ohio State University Press
184 pages —January 2026
9781477325490
Cinema’s Original Sin
D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
by Paul McEwan
University of Texas Press
248 pages —January 2026
**New Edition**
9798212633819
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
Blackstone Publishing
278 pages —January 2026
9781529446906
Sofia Coppola
The Complete Unofficial Guide
by Christina Newland
Hachette Mobius
224 pages —January 2026
9781529447163
Tim Burton
The Complete Unofficial Guide
by Olly Richards
Hachette Mobius
224 pages —January 2026
FEBRUARY
9781839023026
100 Cult Films
The Sequel
by Ernest Mathijs and Xavier Mendik
BFI
256 pages — February 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9781684583218
The Academy and the Award
The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
by Bruce Davis
University of Chicago Press
512 pages — February 2026
9780520392939
Acts of Love
Black Performance and the Kiss That Changed Film History
by Allyson Nadia Field
University of California Press
272 pages — February 2026
9781923239807
Audrey Hepburn: Style Icons
A Dress-Up Paper Doll Book
by Kelly Smith
illustrated by Elizabeth Weitzman
Smith Street Books
48 pages — February 2026
**Second Edition**
9781805750253
BFI Film Classics : When Harry Met Sally…
by Tamar Jeffers McDonald
BFI
104 pages — February 2026
**New Expanded Edition**
9798894141992
A Book
The Outspoken Memoirs of the Man Who “Loved Lucy”—and Revolutionized Television
by Desi Arnaz
additional commentary by Lucie Arnaz
Running Press Adult
400 pages — February 2026
Also available in Spanish
9798894142012
9798886637366
Classic Monsters, Modern Art
20th Century Horror in 21st Century Illustration
by Anthony Taylor
Insight Editions
160 pages — February 2026
9781493087860
Daughters of Daring
Hollywood Cowgirl Stunt Women
by Chris Enss
Lyons Press
264 pages — February 2026
9780253074805
Documentary Objectives
Filming Africa from Colonialism to Independence
by Rachel Gabara
Indiana University Press
354 pages — February 2026
9798216379669
Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer
An Authorized Biography
by Peter M. Bernstein
Rowman & Littlefield
280 pages — February 2026
9781477333129
The First Movie Studio in Texas
Gaston Méliès’s Star Film Ranch
by Kathryn Fuller-Seeley and Frank Thompson
University of Texas Press
164 pages — February 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9781805967156
The Gothic Peckinpah
by Tony Williams
Liverpool University Press
264 pages — February 2026
**Second Edition**
9781978846128
Ida Lupino, Director
Her Art and Resilience in Times of Transition
by Therese Grisham and Julie Grossman
foreword by Imogen Sara Smith
Rutgers University Press
300 pages — February 2026
9781913641535
In the Scene
Agnès Varda
by Paul Sutton
Supernova Books
200 pages — February 2026
9781916809574
Phrases
Six Films
by Jean-Luc Godard
introduction by Stuart Kendall
Eris
376 pages — February 2026
9798898290030
The Reel Thrilling Events of Bank Robber Henry Starr
From Gentleman Bandit to Movie Star and Back Again
by Mark Archuleta
University of North Texas Press
304 pages — February 2026
9781839026195
Re-viewing Hitchcock
New Critical Perspectives
edited by Robert E. Kapsis
BFI
472 pages — February 2026
9780299346249
Somerset Maugham and the Cinema
by Robert Calder
University of Wisconsin Press
306 pages — February 2026
9780262051019
Technothriller
Film and the American Imagination
by Soraya Murray
The MIT Press
312 pages — February 2026
9780826369376
They Kill People
Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America’s Obsession with Guns and Outlaws
by Kirk Ellis
High Road Books
312 pages — February 2026
9781529438253
The World of Black Film
A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films
foreword by John Akomfrah
by Ashley Clark
Laurence King Publishing
224 pages — February 2026
MARCH
**New Edition**
9781917382267
Audrey Hepburn
A Celebration
by Sheridan Morley
Dean Street Press
108 pages — March 2026
**Second Edition**
9781805750215
BFI Film Classics: Double Indemnity
by Richard Schickel
BFI
88 pages — March 2026
**New Edition**
9781839029929
BFI Film Classics: If…
by Mark Sinker
BFI
112 pages — April 2026
9781984860163
Black Film
A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Movies
by David F. Walker
Ten Speed Press
208 pages — March 2026
9781915316509
Born To Lose
The Misfits Who Made Dog Day Afternoon
by Rachel Walther
Headpress
152 pages — March 2026
9780804859752
Bruce Lee
The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon
edited by John Little
preface by Shannon Lee
Tuttle Publishing
200 pages — March 2026
9781917458375
Carrying the Can
Memoir of a Filmmaker
by Christopher Miles
edited by Andrew Lambirth
Unicorn Publishing Group
256 pages — March 2026
9788873018001
Clint Eastwood: In His Own Words
Conversations with Jean-Paul Chaillet
by Jean-Paul Chaillet
Gremese International
192 pages — March 2026
**New Edition**
9781917382304
Elizabeth Taylor
A Celebration
by Sheridan Morley
Dean Street Press
160 pages — March 2026
9788873017981
Kevin on Costner
A Film Icon Through His Own Words
by Silvia Bizio and Pietro Ricci
foreword by Kevin Costner
Gremese International
192 pages — March 2026
9781556522574
Fonda on Film
The Political Movies of Jane Fonda
by Nelson Pressley
Chicago Review Press
320 pages — March 2026
9780806544786
Hollywood vs. Názis
How the Movie Studios Took On Nazis Infiltrating Los Angeles
by Michael Benson
Citadel
320 pages — March 2026
9781538773666
Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!
by Liza Minnelli
Grand Central Publishing
448 pages — March 2026
9798337401553
Labyrinth: VHS
The Making of Jim Henson’s Iconic Film
by Paula M. Block, Terry J Erdmann
Insight Editions
144 pages — March 2026
**New Edition**
9781917382281
Marilyn Monroe
by Sheridan Morley and Ruth Leon
Dean Street Press
82 pages — March 2026
9798894140698
Martin Scorsese All the Films
The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
by Arnaud Devillard, Nicolas Schaller and Olivier Bousquet
Black Dog & Leventhal
504 pages — March 2026
9780786498420
Music for Superheroes
Film and Television Scores Since 1940
by Randall D. Larson
foreword by Kevin Kiner
McFarland
120 pages — March 2026
9781985903678
On the Set of Forrest Gump
by Steve Starkey
foreword by Tom Hanks
The University Press of Kentucky
200 pages — March 2026
9781835952917
Post-Catastrophe Film
Cinematic Visions in the Aftermath of Disaster
by Stephen Lee Naish
Intellect Ltd
252 pages — March 2026
9781496861559
Tall in the Saddle
The Life of Ben Johnson, Hollywood’s Real Cowboy
by Kathryn Jones
University Press of Mississippi
400 pages — March 2026
9781592116799
Wasp Woman
The Life, Career, and Murder of Hollywood’s Susan Cabot
by Lona Bailey
Histria A&E
200 pages — March 2026
APRIL
9781493085026
Banton of Paramount
Haute Couture in Hollywood’s Golden Age
by Howard Gutner
Lyons Press
352 pages — April 2026
**Revised Edition**
9781913051433
Beasts in the Cellar
The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser
by John Hamilton
FAB Press
304 pages — April 2026
9781839029004
BFI Film Classics: Touki Bouki
by Rosalind Galt
BFI
104 pages — April 2026
9781839029394
BFI Film Classics: A Hard Day’s Night
by Mark Sinker
BFI
128 pages — April 2026
**New Edition**
9781592115006
Clara Bow: My Story
by Clara Bow
Histria A&E
150 pages — April 2026
9798894142371
Family Movie Night Menus
Recipes & Films for Unforgettable Times Together
by Leonard Maltin, Jessie Maltin
Running Press/TCM
208 pages — April 2026
**New Edition**
9783754404089
Film Noir. 100 All-Time Favorites
edited by Jürgen Müller and Paul Duncan
TASCHEN
896 pages — April 2026
9781476699509
Frederick Knott and Dial M for Murder
The Creation and Evolution of an Iconic Thriller
by Richard Weill
McFarland
184 pages — April 2026
9781419784163
Hirschfeld’s Icons
A Poster Book
by David Leopold
illustrated by Al Hirschfeld
introduction by Dick Cavett (Introduction by)
Abrams ComicArts
58 pages — April 2026
9781493079599
Hitchcockian Thrillers
Must-See Films in the Style of the Suspense Master
by Stephen Rebello
Bloomsbury Academic
320 pages — April 2026
9781538775073
Intimate Audrey
An Authorized Biography
by Wendy Holden and Sean Hepburn Ferrer
Grand Central Publishing
304 pages — April 2026
**New Edition**
9781592115501
IT
The novel that invented the ‘IT Girl’
by Elinor Glyn
Histria Classics
200 pages — April 2026
**New Edition**
9780997645675
Jackie Gleason
Library of the Paranormal
by Jackie Gleason
edited by Christine Burgin and Andrew Lampert
Further Reading Library
88 pages — April 2026
9780826369390
Lone Star
Reel West
by Alison Fields
University of New Mexico Press
168 pages — April 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9781324123521
Love, Queenie
Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star
by Mayukh Sen
W.W. Norton
320 pages — April 2026
9781476697901
Mantan Moreland
The Complete Career in Film, Television and Radio
by Laura Wagner
foreword by John Gloske
McFarland
120 pages — April 2026
9781805966869
Nosferatu
A Symphony of Horror
by Cristina Massaccesi
Liverpool University Press
144 pages — April 2026
9781923239784
Where’s David Lynch?
A search-and-find adventure through the surreal worlds of David Lynch
by Kev Gahan
Smith Street Books
24 pages — April 2026
9781998365852
William Friedkin
The Life and Films of a Cinematic Risk-Taker
by Christopher Heard
Sutherland House
250 pages — April 2026
9781784729677
Women and Their Jewels
15 iconic women through their jewellery
by David Lelait-Helo
Mitchell Beazley/Hachette
192 pages — April 2026
MAY
9781419772573
Anna May Wong
An Intimate Portrait
by Shirley Jennifer Lim
Abrams Books
320 pages — May 2026
**Second Edition**
9781805750291
BFI Film Classics : Easy Rider
by Lee Hill
BFI
96 pages — May 2026
9781985904446
A Century of Hitchcock
The Man, the Myths, the Legacy
by Tony Lee Moral
The University Press of Kentucky
304 pages — May 2026
9780231223522
The Cinema of Jonathan Demme
Champion of the Soul
by Louis Black and Steven Fore
Wallflower Press
368 pages — May 2026
9781835952641
The Films of Aleksandr Rou
Father of Soviet Fairy-Tale Cinema
by Deborah Allison
Intellect Ltd
244 pages — May 2026
9781978841499
Jane Fonda
There’s a Great Deal to Say
by Marilyn S. Greenwald
Rutgers University Press
314 pages — May 2026
9781493076376
King Kong
The History of a Movie Icon
by Ray Morton
Bloomsbury Academic
352 pages — May 2026
9798886743777
Marilyn
The Last Photographs • The Last Interview
by Weldon Owen
Insight Editions
256 pages — May 2026
9781668098288
Marilyn and Her Books
The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe
by Gail Crowther
Gallery Books
304 pages — May 2026
9781788843522
Marilyn Monroe 100
The Official Centenary Book
edited by ACC Art Books Ltd
348 pages — May 2026
9781419789359
The Marilyn Monroe Century
From Norma Jeane to Icon—A Story in Photographs
by Joshua John Miller and M.A. Forti
photographs by Bruno Bernard
Abrams Books
272 pages — May 2026
9780520415805
Power Surge
Conglomerate Hollywood and the Studio System’s Last Hurrah
by Thomas Schatz
University of California Press
552 pages — May 2026
9780228027805
Queer Film Classics
The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
by Renée Middlemost
McGill-Queen’s University Press
152 pages — May 2026
9780806544267
Roddy McDowall
An Actor’s Life — From “How Green Was My Valley” to “Lassie” to “Planet of the Apes”
by Samuel Garza Bernstein
Citadel
352 pages — May 2026
**Second Edition**
9781538163481
Scoring the Screen
The Secret Language of Music for Film and Visual Media
by Andy Hill
Bloomsbury Academic
440 pages — May 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9780593655139
Sonny Boy
A Memoir
by Al Pacino
Penguin Books
384 pages — May 2026
9781496863355
Steve Cochran
Bad Boy of Hollywood
by Michelangelo Capua
University Press of Mississippi
304 pages — May 2026
9781985904187
Sydney Pollack
Collected Interviews
edited by Patrick McGilligan and Paul Cronin
The University Press of Kentucky
296 pages — May 2026
JUNE
9781837050079
**Paperback Edition**
1971: 100 Films from Cinema’s Greatest Year
by Robert Sellers
The History Press
320 pages — June 2026
9781839027130
BFI Film Classics: Beau Travail
by Corinn Columpar
BFI
96 pages — June 2026
9781839029639
BFI Film Classics: Le Samouraï
by Daisuke Miyao
BFI
96 pages — June 2026
9781839027475
BFI Film Classics: Velvet Goldmine
by Katherine Reed
BFI
112 pages — June 2026
9781805701804
Christopher Nolan
The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work
by Ian Nathan
White Lion Publishing
192 pages — June 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9780306832949
Damn Glad to Meet You
My Seven Decades in the Hollywood Trenches
by Tim Matheson
Grand Central Publishing
304 pages — June 2026
**Paperback Edition**
9781668023099
Desi Arnaz
The Man Who Invented Television
by Todd S. Purdum
Simon & Schuster
368 pages — June 2026
9798881807313
Fashioning Hitchcock
Stories Behind the Costumes from The Lodger to Marnie
by Caroline Young
Bloomsbury Academic
296 pages — June 2026
9781538723500
I Wanna Be Loved By You
Marilyn Monroe: A Life in 100 Takes
by Andrew Wilson
Grand Central Publishing
512 pages — June 2026
9780826369642
Johnny Guitar
Reel West
by Brooks E. Hefner
University of New Mexico Press
216 pages — April 2026
COMING LATER THIS YEAR
9781985904415
Barrymore
The Spectacular, Tumultuous Life of America’s Prince of Players
by Terry Chester Shulman
The University Press of Kentucky
512 pages — July 2026
9798894142296
But Have You Read the Book? Romance Edition:
40 Love Stories That Inspired Our Favorite Films
by Kristen Lopez
Running Press
216 pages — July 2026
