The author of this massive four-volume tome is also the author of the well-known seventeen-volume The Motion Picture Guide (1984-1999). Calling it the most comprehensive work of only the best films ever produced, the author then applies a number of criteria for inclusion, discussed in the introduction. Only feature-length theatrically released films from 1913 through 2015 are examined, all having been watched by the author himself. Every page of the four-volume encyclopedia has a black-and-white photograph from one of the films discussed on that page. More than 5,000 three- to five-star rated films are included, and there is also a rating system for parents to determine whether a film is appropriate for their children. All essential information for each film is provided, along with the author's own rating system: recommended, acceptable, cautionary, and unacceptable. . . I highly recommend this for all academic and public libraries and for programs in film studies.
