The Aurum Film Encyclopedia
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''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia'' is a multi-volume
reference work A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to ...
on
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
, published in the UK by
Aurum Press The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
and edited by
Phil Hardy Philip Hardy (born 9 April 1973) is an English-born former Ireland under-21 footballer who played as a left-back. With Welsh club Wrexham from 1990 to 2001, he played more than 450 games under manager Brian Flynn. He was named on the PFA ...
. The first volume, devoted to
western films Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...
, appeared in 1983, with eight subsequent volumes announced at that time as "forthcoming". However, only three additional entries were issued. All four volumes have been published in the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
by
The Overlook Press The Overlook Press is an American publishing house based in New York, New York, that considers itself "a home for distinguished books that had been 'overlooked' by larger houses". History and operations It was formed in 1971 by Peter Mayer, wh ...
, with the same contents as the UK editions but with the title changed to ''The Overlook Film Encyclopedia''. The Foreword to all four volumes is the same, describing the proposed nine-volume encyclopedia as "covering the principal film categories or genres which have developed since the birth of the industry." The intent was to produce a "complete and authoritative" body of information that, upon completion, would be seen as "a truly comprehensive and enduring reference guide to the fabulous world of film."Haggiag, Michael. ''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: The Western'', Foreword, pg. vii, Aurum Press, 1983. Each book provides a decade by decade overview of that volume's respective
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
. Capsule reviews of individual films are provided per year of release. Each year's films are listed alphabetically, and feature brief cast and credit details.
Tim Lucas Tim Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is a film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter, blogger, and publisher and editor of the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the only ...
described the first three volumes as "essential reference tools" and "eminently collectable as a set."Lucas, Tim. ''
Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantas ...
'' Magazine, issue #10 (March/April 1992), pgs. 4 - 5. "Watchdog News: Laurels for Hardy"


Volume One

Published in 1983, ''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: The Western'' is a chronological history of the genre from 1930 - 1983. The book is credited solely to Phil Hardy, and all reviews are ostensibly his work alone. All subsequent volumes credit Hardy as editor, and provide a list of the contributing reviewers on the main title page. Hardy made the decision not to include any
silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
in this first volume because, as he explained in his
Preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often close ...
, "space is at a premium" and "only a few silent Westerns are available for viewing."Hardy, Phil (editor). ''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: The Western'', Preface, pg. viii, Aurum Press, 1983. In addition, hundreds of “minor” sound westerns were not included in the main text, again because of noted space issues; the titles of all excluded sound films are provided in a massive, 20-page appendix entitled "All Other Sound Westerns". Many serials and Italian westerns are relegated to this appendix. No such listing is provided for the missing silent films. Other appendices include a list of the top box office western hits, top ten lists from critics, and all
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning westerns. Sixteen pages of color stills are provided in a center insert. A second edition of the book was published in 1991, with its chronology expanded through 1990 and a different set of appendices. Ten pages were added to the new edition, covering the few films produced during the years 1984 - 1990. This edition was reprinted in 1995. The color section was omitted.


Volume Two

Published in 1984, '' The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction'', followed the history of the genre chronologically, from 1897 – 1983. Unlike the previous volume, silent genre titles are included, and even minor genre films are reviewed in the main text. Also unlike the first volume, Hardy mentions the names of the various critics who provided the reviews in the text, which in this book were
Denis Gifford Denis Gifford (26 December 1927 – 18 May 2000)Holland, Steve, Obituaries: Denis Gifford', ''The Guardian'', 26 May 2000. was a British writer, broadcaster, journalist, comic artist and historian of film, comics, television and radio. In h ...
, Anthony Masters, Paul Taylor, and Paul Willemen. However, none of the film reviews are signed, so it is not possible to determine what material each writer contributed to the book. Like the first, this volume includes supplemental material including all-time box-office hits, critics’ top ten lists and all science fiction films that have won Academy Awards. The book includes sixteen pages of color stills in a center insert. Tim Lucas wrote of the first edition that "no self-respecting film library should be without it", and further noted that it was "particularly recommended for its coverage of the early silent trick films - perhaps the most complete document of its kind ever published." An expanded second edition was published in 1995, with new entries on all films that had received a theatrical release through 1994. Longer by 62 pages than the original version, the edition dropped most of the appendices due to space issues.


Volume Three

Published in 1984, ''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror'', provides a chronological history of the horror film since its inception in 1896 through 1983. Like the science fiction volume, all known theatrically released films, including those from the silent era, have entries. More than either of the two previous books, the horror volume is international in scope, providing coverage of all films from all countries that have ever produced a horror-related title. The contributors to this volume were
Tom Milne Tom Milne (2 April 1926 – 14 December 2005) was a British film critic. See also After war service, he studied English and French at Aberdeen University and later at the Sorbonne. Interested in the theatre too, he wrote for the magazine ' ...
, Paul Willemen, Julian Petley, and Tim Pulleine. The writers' specific contributions are not possible to determine, as none of the film reviews are signed. Sixteen pages of color stills are featured in a center insert. In 1987, it was published in an edition titled ''The Encyclopedia of Horror Movies: The Complete Film Reference''. Tim Lucas has acclaimed the first edition as "the greatest and most influential of all books on the subject". In a later review, he described the book as "an intoxicating road map to further study and the enthusiasms of its authors(...)planted the seeds for the rediscovery and reappraisal of such ''cinéastes'' as
Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013) was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. In a career spanning from 1959 to 2013, he wrote, directed, produced, act ...
,
José Mojica Marins José Mojica Marins (13 March 1936 – 19 February 2020) was a Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host. Marins is also known for creating and playing the character Coffin Joe (loosely translated from Zé ...
,
Pupi Avati Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, ''The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' Zeder ...
, and
Jean Rollin Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 193815 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre. Overview Rollins' career, spanning over fifty years, featured early short film ...
...Hardy's hefty tome redefined how horror cinema was perceived by its admirers more so than any other single work..."Lucas, Tim. ''
Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fantas ...
'' Magazine, issue #27 (1995), pgs. 75 - 76. "Biblio Watchdog: The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror"
An expanded second edition was published in 1993, with new entries on all films released through 1992. This edition is approximately 90 pages longer than the first, with three of the appendices dropped for space reasons. As noted by Hardy in his Preface to the updated edition,
Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at ...
wrote nearly all of the book’s new material. This second edition was reprinted in 1995. Tim Lucas felt the second edition would probably disappoint many readers as it was not "as rich in international selection this time around", concentrating mainly on films produced in the United States and United Kingdom.


Volume Four

Published in 1998, ''The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: The Gangster Film'' follows the same basic format of the previous books, offering a chronological, decade-by-decade history of the genre. Hardy starts his history in 1928, noting in his introductory material that the genre did not exist prior to that.
The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
and
The Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
asserted that the genre began with
D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...
's'' The Narrow Road'' (1912) and Maurice Tourneur's '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' (1915) with their VHS release of both films in 1993.
All films released through 1997 have capsule review entries. The contributors were Jeremy Clarke, Richard Coombs, David McGillivray, Tom Milne, Kim Newman, Tim Pulleine, and Paul Willemen. As with previous volumes, the film reviews are unsigned, and so details regarding what material each writer contributed to the book has not been made available to the reader. Two appendices are included, listings of the top grossing gangster films through 1998 and all Academy Award winning and nominated films in the genre. Unlike the other three books in the series, this entry does not have a center color stills insert. The book has not been updated or reprinted.


Future volumes

In his introduction to ''The Gangster Film'', Hardy noted that work on a crime-themed “companion work” to that volume was in preparation. This book was to be devoted to private eyes, femmes fatales, murderers, and
serial killers A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
. To date, no such volume has been published. The first book in the series, ''The Western'', had laid out the complete plans for all future volumes. In addition to the published Western, Science Fiction, and Horror volumes, the remaining six “forthcoming” books were to be:
Comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
,
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
,
War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, Epics, Musicals, and Thrillers. Phil Hardy passed away in April 2014.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurum Encyclopedia Of Film, The Film guides Books about film Encyclopedias of art 20th-century encyclopedias Aurum Press books