Berg Chuck, Erskine Thomas L. The Encyclopedia of Orson Welles

Facts on File, 2002. — 480 p.This is the third and final entry on a single director in Facts On File's Great Filmmakers series. Welles created what many consider the finest film of all time, Citizen Kane. Readers of the book's entry on it may be surprised to learn that it was his first feature film, made when he was only 26! He was also responsible for that "most notorious of broadcasts" in 1938, the radio play of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. And did you know that he wrote acclaimed high-school textbooks on Shakespeare?Welles amassed many other directorial, acting, and writing credits in his lengthy career. Entries are arranged alphabetically, covering produced and unproduced films, plays, broadcasts, and scripts (Compulsion, The Magnificent Ambersons, Time Runs); people (John Barrymore, Rita Hayworth, Steven Spielberg); and topical entries (Shakespeare by Welles, "Rosebud"). Some of the text is highly detailed: Macbeth has more than seven pages, with casting and shooting background, scene-by-scene description and analysis, and critical response. The eight contributors write in a lively and engaging style, and entries are filled with fascinating facts. Black-and-white photos of key figures and films accompany many articles. A bibliography and index are included. The only thing readers may look for in vain is a filmography, or better yet, a list in time-line format detailing Welles' varied accomplishments in chronological order, perhaps divided by role as actor, director, etc. Most public and academic libraries will want to add this to the reference or circulating collection.