Best Selling Books by Steven Spielberg

More than four decades after the premiere of his first film, Steven Spielberg (b. 1946) continues to be a household name whose influence on popular culture extends far beyond the movie screen. Now in his seventies, Spielberg shows no intention of retiring from directing or even slowing down. Since the publication of Steven Spielberg: Interviews in 2000, the filmmaker has crafted some of the most complex movies of his extensive career. His new movies consistently reinvigorate entrenched genres, adding density and depth. Many of the defining characters, motifs, tropes, and themes that emerge in Spielberg’s earliest movies shape these later works as well, but often in new configurations that probe deeper into more complicated subjects—dangerous technology rather than man-eating sharks, homicidal rather than cuddly aliens, lethal terrorism instead of rampaging dinosaurs. Spielberg''s movies continue to display a remarkably sophisticated level of artistry that matches, and sometimes exceeds, the memorable visual hallmarks of his prior work. His latest series of films continue to demonstrate an ongoing intellectual restlessness and a willingness to challenge himself as a creative artist. With this new collection of interviews, which includes eleven original interviews from the 2000 edition and nine new interviews, readers will recognize the themes that motivate Spielberg, the cinematic techniques he employs to create his feature films, and the emotional connection he has to his movies. The result is a nuanced and engaging portrait of the most popular director in American cinema history.

Donation Oct/03.

With more than 100 color photos, the companion book to the major DreamWorks film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hanks. Engaging in a game of cat and mouse in the real-life crime drama, Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Di Caprio) worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline-all before his 18th birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill gave him his first real claim to fame: At the age of 17, Frank Abagnale, Jr. became the most successful bank robber in the history of the United States. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) made it his prime mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice, but Frank was always one step ahead of him, baiting him to continue the chase. With more than 100 color images, the companion book includes the complete script and behind-the-scenes photographs of this amazing true tale.

Over 50,000 sold—the only illustrated companion book to the extraodinary film. Includes excerpts from Stephen Ambrose''s books, screenplay extracts, and commentary by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Janusz Kaminski and others. 100 illustrations, 130 color plates.

This illustrated, large-format book, Testimony: The Legacy of Schindler''s List and the USC Shoah Foundation—A 20th Anniversary Commemoration combines, for the first time, the behind-the-scenes story of the making of Schindler''s List with the history of the remarkable organization inspired by that landmark film. Steven Spielberg''s encounters with Holocaust survivors who visited the set and personally told him their stories set him on a quest to collect and preserve survivor testimony for generations to come. In 1994, he established the Shoah Foundation, and in the following four years nearly 52,000 eyewitness interviews were video recorded in 56 countries and 32 languages. This commemorative book relates how the foundation accomplished this feat through a worldwide network of dedicated people, pioneering interview methods, and state-of-the art technologies. A special 140-page section tells the riveting story of the film in photos, script excerpts, and the words of the cast and crew, including Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Spielberg. Drawing from the Universal Pictures archives and exclusive interviews, here are details on Spielberg''s struggle to bring Oskar Schindler''s story from novel to script to screen, the casting, cinematography, and especially what happened during the difficult shoot in Poland in 1993—on locations where actual events of the Holocaust occurred. Partnered with the University of Southern California since 2006, the USC Shoah Foundation has broadened its mission and now collects and preserves testimonies from other genocides, including those in Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda, while expanding its educational outreach, especially to young people. Its Visual History Archive—digitized, fully searchable, and hyperlinked to the minute—has become the largest digital collection of its kind in the world. As Spielberg writes in his introduction, "I believe the work of the USC Shoah Foundation is the most important legacy of Schindler''s List."

Brimming with more than 140 dramatic images, this is the stunning, visual companion to Steven Spielberg''s epic adventure, set in rural England and Europe, about a young man and his horse and their separate journeys through the battlefields of the First World War. One of the great stories of friendship and war, the successful novel War Horse not only inspired the award-winning stage play, but also inspired one of the great directors in film history to commit his talent, vision, and resources to make this extraordinary movie, which was shot in the countryside of England. "I first fell in love with the story of War Horse because I was moved by the relationship between a boy and an animal in Michael Morpurgo''s novel and the screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall," writes Steven Spielberg in his foreword. "But, ultimately, I made it because of what the book and the screenplay say about courage. I t is about the courage of the horse Joey and what he endures to survive, and the courage of Albert in his attempt to find his best friend in a time of war. With every frame of this film, it was my hope to issue a call for courage in our daily lives. A call to ‘be brave.''" Additional forewords by producer Kathleen Kennedy, novelist Michael Morpurgo, and co-screenwriter Richard Curtis reveal their feelings about the story and the process of moving it from page to screen. The main body of the book is divided into three sections: Part 1: Joey''s Journey—A visual retelling, along with script excerpts and filmmakers'' comments, of the journey taken by Joey, the horse trained by his beloved Albert, from the striking verdant countryside of Dartmoor, Devon, to training in the British cavalry, to trench warfare in France. Part 2: The Making of War Horse—An insider''s glimpse of the movie-making process highlighted with fascinating insights from the international cast and the crew about the casting, locations, costumes, horse training, and much more. Part 3: The History of War Horses—An illuminating section on the role of horses in battle, illustrated with iconic images from history, vivid drawings, paintings and photographs. This beautiful book is a testament to what can be done when people become impassioned about a goal. As producer Kathleen Kennedy expresses in her foreword: "War Horse was one of those unusual productions that comes together in an incredibly short time, and for all the right reasons. Everyone involved understood the film''s potential, the richness of the characters, the depth of emotion, and the strength of the story''s message."

E.T. is the movie that created one of the most recognized icons of the twentieth century, and has become the enduring classic about a remarkable friendship between a boy and an alien visitor. And this is the only book that tells the story of how the movie was conceived and made. Here are stories from director Steven Spielberg, writer Melissa Mathison, producer Kathleen Kennedy, child stars Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore, and members of the crew. Spielberg and Mathison tell us how E.T. evolved from Spielberg''s concept into Mathison''s screenplay. We learn about the mechanics of how the alien was made to walk, talk, eat, and phone home. We go on the set to discover, firsthand, how the most memorable scenes were filmed, including the scene of the boys flying over the moon and the good-bye scene that had us in tears. Lavishly illustrated, with full-color stills and behind-the-scenes photographs, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial from Concept to Classic includes the complete screenplay, as well as excerpts from the reviews and feature stories that appeared when the film was first released in 1982. Here is a book that puts you in the director''s chair during the making of one of the most extraordinary films ever created.

The gentle extraterrestrial''s return to his home planet discloses that he has fallen out of favor with his colleagues, who try to prevent his journey back to Earth to provide spiritual guidance for his young friend Elliott.

"When Roy Neary witnesses the arrival of alien ships from a distant world, an incredible series of events begins ..." [box cover note].