Reviews for A pictorial history of war films

The average rating for A pictorial history of war films based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-10-14 00:00:00 Linda Phifer Les Daniels is remembered mainly for his writing for and about comics, but he also wrote Living in Fear (title shortened to Fear for paperback), which is the single best overview of horror that I’ve ever read. Okay, it was published in 1975, so it’s a few decades out of date, but it more than makes up with this for its sheer breadth of scope in examining horror’s history. Daniels covers literature, cinema, television, theatre, music, comics and even religious tracts; his analysis kicks off in earnest with the gothic novels of the 18th century and continues up to the 1970s. Horace Walpole, Vampirella, Bram Stoker, John Zacherle and depressing pop songs about dead teenagers each have a part to play in the grand narrative. He also reprints a few classic horror stories, each one representing its general period. Well worth tracking down if you want a thorough assessment of how the horror genre took shape.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-10-05 00:00:00 Sadiah Nugraha This is a generously illustrated book, which contains b&w reproductions of classic and pulp illustrations, movie stills, paintings, engravings, historic frontispieces, and even a complete E.C. Comics horror story! It is a scholarly treatment of the horror genre, in all its historic manifestations. Most chapters include an exemplary short story, to give the reader a first-hand experience of the source materials which Daniels has drawn upon. Authors include Poe, Machen, Lovecraft, Bierce, and Joseph Payne Brennan. I'm sad to report that the author, celebrated as the first historian of the comic book, passed away in November of 2011. I just read the first 50 pages or so of "Living in Fear." It is well-written and enlightening. Definitely a keeper!