The New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Sixth Edition

I love reference books. They are the best for nightstand and bathroom reading. A good, solid reference on a subject you are interested in a wise investment in time and money.This new edition of a long-time classic is, as the past editions have been, a sheet delight. Like the old potato chip commercial put it, you can't eat just one entry. You will find yourself staying up later than you intended (or taking a lot longer to get ready for the day, etc.), but pfft. Who cares when a writer like Thomson is keeping you reading? He has not lost any of his edge, strong opinion, or ability to make you laugh out loud. If you agree with his take, you nod your head at his wit and incisive writing. If you disagree with him, all the better. It's still enlightening and more often than not, a hoot. Not just everybody is listed here, of course, but then, not just everybody deserves to be.Turn on the side lamp, adjust the pillow, and expect to be tired in the morning.

A terrific book, though not fully updated. Regardless, and despite largely subjective and some might think often wrong-headed commentaries, this is a splendid book to own. It is great fun to look up someone, find him or her there, and enjoy the thoughts Thomson shares. Agree or disagree.

He likes movies I have never heard of and hates the movies I love but the book and his essays are fascinating.

Well, I had high expectations as I have Thomson"s previous books The Golden Years and The International Years but I thought this was white bread territory by comparison. Not as much personality in the entries.

My husband loves any type of film and all the info on each one and was very happy that he got this book for father's day

Disappointed in book. Parts are interesting but the author left out some very important actors/actresses, etc. And it says it is alsoa biographical dictionary but it did not give much info on marriages of some of the people in his book or any children, etc. Andthat is what I am most interested in......personal life info.

Best single reference on movies.

Now I have all 6 editions of this excellent and useful book. Hours of browsing.

Kindle edition. First off -- the Kindle edition is not as pleasant to use as our older print edition. (Background: we are generally fans of Kindle books -- general reading, and academic.) Second -- the newer entries tend not to be as critically incisive or stimulating as the earlier entries.

I too have not purchased this 6th edition because of the price. A pity: previous editions are full of quality and an update would be valued - but not this highly!

My late husband loved to look in this book

life stories great but I thought it would say more about the films

If I were evaluating the content alone, I'd give this book three or four stars. It's an impressive project, and many of the entries make fascinating reading. The quality seems to drop, though, in the entries written for newer editions; some of these are little more than roll calls of the films younger stars have appeared in, without the insight earlier entries had for what made each star special (check out the entries on Cary Grant or either Hepburn to see how good Thomson can be.I've knocked another star off because I purchased the Kindle version, and there are no links directly to each entry. This makes a book of this size unwieldy on a Kindle device. I have a better experience accessing articles on the Kindle reader on my desktop computer, so all is not lost.