Graven Images: The Best of Horror, Fantasy, and Science-Fiction Film Art from the Collection of Ronald V. Borst

Just love browsing through this book. The artwork is very inspiring and it is fun to see how the genres progressed through time. Great for Horror and Sci-Fi fans and poster designers in general. This book was put together with a lot of care.

Great book at a great price!Would buy from the seller again

Excellent book with good information and movie posters

GRAVEN IMAGES is exactly what it claims to be, 235 pages of the best fantasy and science fiction film art you could possibly imagine and-- beyond! It features beautifully reproduced photos of everything from the common one sheet all the way up to six sheets (that were literally plastered on the sides of buildings to be viewed from car or train) and everything in between including half-sheets, inserts, and lobby cards. It also includes a glossary to define these terms for you in case you are unfamiliar with them. Best of all the items represented aren't simply the American publicity materials, oh no, collector Ron Borst who compiled the book has also chosen to add foreign material chiefly British, French, and Belgian though other countries are represented as well, and some of these posters are absoutely breathtaking.The book starts with a 15 page forward by Borst (everything is always illustrated) aptly called "The Genesis of a Collector". Among other things Borst's hobby lead to establing one of the best known memorabilia shops in Los Angeles. His forward is followed by the handy-dandy one page glossary, and then by a five page intoduction by the ubiquitous Stephen King that sets the tone for the book which of course is how publicity material, specifically theatrical posters sets up the audiences expectations for the film. It also contains 2 lists, one which is King's list of favorite horror movies as of 1992 and the other his list of favorite horror movie posters as of the same date. Looking at the list I'm assuming that he's referring only to American one sheets.MOVIES (alphabetically)AlienBurnt OfferingsThe ChanglingCurse of the DemondDawn of the DeadDementia 13Evil DeadPet SemetaryPsychoTexas Chain saw MassacreONE SHEETSChild's Play 2Curse of the DemonEarth vs the Flying SaucersI Was a Teenage FrankensteinI Was a Teenage WerewolfNight of the Living DeadPaper HouseRabidThe She CreatureThem!The remainder of the book is divided into eras and each era is introduced by a different science fiction writer; The teens and twenties are handled by the late Robert Block author of PSYCHO, the thirties by Ray Bradybury, the fourties by Harlan Ellison, the fifties by Peter Straub, and the sixties by Clive Barker with an afterward entitled "Imagi-Movie Memories 1922--1968" being contributed by the late Forry Ackerman who died of congestive heart failure December 2008. Their anectdotes are all well and good, but the real reason to buy this book is the art, and art it truly is! Many of these images are so beautiful that it hurts to look at them.The teens and twenties were the high point for this type of poster art in films but all too soon it would end, a victim of mass production. Within a few years circus posters, cigar box labels and all the other forms of beautiful lithography of which these early posters were but a part would be gone forever, and by the 1980's almost all theatrical posters would be photographic in nature. Once you've seen the posters reproduced in this book you'll realise just how big a loss that really was. If you get a chance to take a look at this gorgeous book--grab it! What you find within its pages will open your eyes, especially the work for the silent films that were coming out of Germany such THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI and METROPOLIS for the art chosen to sell these films was every bit as exciting an innovative as the films were themselves.My only criticism of the book is that I would have liked to have seen mention by name of all the artists who had produced these ephemeral masterpieces. I suspect though that the artists, like their work, were disposable. How sad.

Definately a coffee table book. 235 pages with some of the best reproductions I have ever seen of movie posters. The author must have one heck of a collection to choose the cream of the crop. The publishing company spent time and their efforts were not in vein. Why Amazon.com does not have a scan of the book cover I do not know. Whether you can get this hardcover book with the dust jacket or not doesn't matter. It's what is inside that counts. The essays by Forrest J. Ackerman, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Harland Ellison and Peter Straub are worth reading as they are exclusives you won't find elsewhere. All recollections of how old horror and sci-fi movies inspired them to be where they are today. I met the author at a convention once and got him to sign my copy of the book. Seemed more interested in collecting the money than signing the book and asking my name, but that's an opinion. Wait till you see THE INVISIBLE RAY poster on page 83. Magnificient.If you want superb books like this, coffee table books or just plain reference guides, there are only a few that rank as good as this. Any of Tom Weaver's interview books. The Dwight Frye biography by Gregory William Mank. THE TWILIGHT ZONE book by Martin Grams. The Francois Truffaunt book about Hitchcock. And of course, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine. This book is essential.

THIS BOOK IS A JOY TO BEHOLD.SINCE THE FRONT JACKET ILLUSTRATION REPRODUCING THE ONE-SHEET POSTER FOR "MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE"(UNIVERSAL,1932),CREATED BY KAROLY GROSZ,UNIVERSAL'S OUTSTANDING POSTER DESIGNER ,TO THE MORE THAN 500 OF THE FINEST VINTAGE FILM POSTERS(AND RELATED MEMORABILIA)BELONGING TO THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF RONALD V. BORST.MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS:THE BRITISH TWENTY-FOUR-SHEET POSTER(PRESSBOOK)FOR THE GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST FILM "DAS CABINET DES DR.CALIGARI(U.S.TITLE:THE CABINET OF DR.CALIGARI),DECLA-BIOSCOP,1919;THE PRODUCTION DRAWINGS BY ART DIRECTOR ALBIN GRAU FOR F.W.MURNAU'S "NOSFERATU,EINE SYIMPHONIE DES GRAUENS"(U.S.TITLE:NOSFERATU,A SYMPHONY OF HORRORS"),PRANA-FILM(GERMANY),1922;THE TWO ONE-SHEET POSTERS FOR "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"(UNIVERSAL,1925),AND THE ONE-SHEET FOR PAUL LENI'S "THE MAN WHO LAUGHS"(UNIVERSAL,1927);THE SIX-SHEET POSTER FOR BELA LUGOSI'S "WHITE ZOMBIE"(UNITED ARTISTS,1932);KARL FREUND'S "THE MUMMY"(UNIVERSAL,1932) ONE-SHEET POSTER;THE SENSATIONAL(IN ART-DECO STYLE)ONE- SHEET FOR THE BRITISH PRODUCTION OF H.G.WELLS "THINGS TO COME"(LONDON FILMS,1936);THE TWO MYSTERIOUS POSTERS,ONE ONE-SHEET AND ONE THREE-SHEET,FOR JAQUES TOURNEUR'S "CAT PEOPLE"(RKO,1942),REPRODUCING THE LOVELY FIGURE OF SIMONE SIMON;THE ORIGINAL BRITISH QUAD POSTER FOR EALING'S "DEAD OF NIGHT"(1945);THE DOZENS OF POSTERS FOR AMERICAN SCIENCE-FICTION FILMS OF THE 1950'S.ESPECIALLY THE REYNOLD BROWN'S(1917-1991) CREATIONS FOR UNIVERSAL'S FILMS:THE ONE-SHEET POSTERS FOR "CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON"(1954),"REVENGE OF THE CREATURE(1955),"TARANTULA"(1955),AND "THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US"(1956).WE CAN ALSO ADMIRE HUNDREDS OF OTHER STARTLING FANTASTIC FILM POSTERS.HOW LUCKY MR. BORST IS!THE ESSAYS ARE VERY GOOD.MY FAVORITES:THE LATE ROBERT BLOCH'S "THE TEENS AND TWENTIES" AND "THE THIRTIES" BY RAY BRADBURY.BLOCH WAS A REAL CONNOISSEUR OF SILENT MOVIES,AND BRADBURY IS ALWAYS AMUSING.A GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL BOOK!

A must have book , if like me , you have a passion for classic horror , married with a love of poster art.All the classics are covered with often more than one version , simply put , this deserves a place on any self respecting bookcase.

Eine wirklich außergewöhnliche Sammlung von Film-Postern (und "Werbebildern") zu den Filmklassikern der Anfangszeit bis zu den 60ern.Hier findet jeder Freund des Phantastischen Films die "Filmkunstperlen" zu seinen liebsten Filmen: Von Nosferatu über Dracula bis zu 2001 sind alle mit dabei.Wer die Filmkunst liebt sollte dieses Buch kaufen :-)Für die "Liebeserklärungen" von z.B. Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Clive Barker und von Ronald V. Borst selbst, lohnt es sich english lesen zu können - denn auch diese Texte sind wahre "Perlen" von Liebhabern an Liebhaber :-)

Ein Sammelsurium an wunderbaren B-Movie-Film-Plakaten.Für Nostalgiker und Sammler ein Muss.Liebevoll und üppig gestaltet.Einfach toll!

Dies ist ein Bildband für Menschen, die Bücher wie TOO MUCH HORROR BUSINESS von Kirk Hammett, MONSTERS IN THE MOVIES von John Landis (!), die 4 HAMMER Bücher von Marcus Hearn, AMICUS-CHRONICLES von Peter Osteried oder auch DIE FILME VON JACK ARNOLD (ebenfalls von P. O.) im Bücherregal stehen haben und sich trotzdem nicht sattsehen/-lesen können! Leider ist der Bildband (meist) nur noch antiquarisch erhältlich - trotzdem gebe ich eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung ab. Ein absolutes MUST_HAVE!!!!!

Simply put - if you love browsing through and admiring old classic horror, fantasy, and sci-fi movie posters than this is your book. They're all here. I absolutely loved looking through this book and find I keep going back to admire those posters again and again.