“Italian Western: The Opera of Violence”By Laurence Staig and Tony Williams
Publisher Lorimer Publishing, London, England, 1975
This was the first book on Spaghetti Westerns I ever owned and what helped turned me on to researching, finding and collecting this genre of films. This is written by fans of the genre and who make it a very enjoyable read. They don’t analyze the films like Sir Christopher Frayling does, but look at them as an adventurous journey through a genre of films I had only heard about and seen very few. One of the best things about the book was half of it is devoted to the musical composers and scores to these remarkable films. I have corresponded with both authors over the years. Laurence is still located in England and Tony teaches at Southern Illinois University. Although out of print it can still be found at Amazon used, eBay and other internet sources. If you don’t have a copy of this in your library you should have.
I agree with the High Sheriff. These folks were the first, and maybe the best. Their book is both entertaining and knowledgeable. A real eye-opener.
ReplyDeleteBreccio
A wonderful book, indeed. One of these days...I am going to have to get serious about buying another copy. A fistful of years ago--when I was still living in Stillwater, Oklahoma--I gave away my extra one..and a week later a leaky window/roof in my apartment was responsible for ruining my original copy!
ReplyDeleteJust another note. Try ebay first and watch how much you bid. I got mine for $26. Booksellers like Amazon often want more than $100.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with what the others said: It's a fine addition to any SW library. And Laurence is a nice guy.
Agreed, it's a good read and Laurence is a good fellow. He occasionally posts on the SWWB. While not necessarily a go-to book for details, it's full of information about the films and shows an obvious love of the genre.
ReplyDeleteGot my copy last month from a amazon.co.uk seller: £ 15 including postage.
ReplyDeleteBreccio