CELLULOID PAPER TRAIL: IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FILM SCRIPTS.|THE

New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2019. Hardcover, printed paper-covered boards. 8.5.x 11 inches. Hardcover, printed paper-covered boards. 232 pages. "Its an essential reference book for collectors of film scripts, and an entertaining read for those who enjoy learning more about the golden age of Hollywood."

-Rich Rennicks, The New Antiquarian



"Neither bibliography nor collectors guide, it is a well-illustrated description of the many forms a film script may take... Filmmaking is a dauntingly complex process, one quickly learns, the paper trail it creates no less so. Johnson's grasp of its inner workings helps untangle the mass of product to the dabbler or the complete novice, whether dealer or collector."

- William Butts, Manuscripts



"Now Johnson has authored a deeper, more descriptive guide to film script identification. It's jam-packed with 130 examples of easily recognized American and British films in nearly every genre, documenting phase after phase of script development. ... landmark research and organization."

- Kurt Brokaw, The Independent



Foreword by Tony Bill, Academy Award-winning producer (The Sting), director and actor.



The film script is an example of rare book that defies nearly every norm. It is issued, not published, and rather than having a "first edition," it can be one of many drafts that fit within the development and production of a motion picture. Adding to its complexity is the fact that its method and style of issuance and printing has changed considerably over the course of time.



The Celluloid Paper Trail is the first book published specifically to aid scholars in the identification and description of the 20th century film script. Visually sumptuous, methodical, detailed, and entertaining, this study is designed to help the rare book scholar ask questions, identify, and comprehend American and British film scripts issued between the 1920s and the 1980s, thus covering the period during which the art of cinema was birthed, developed, and perfected.



Included are:

- An overview of the filmmaking process as it relates to script development.

- Script identification with respect to the different functions in filmmaking.

- Bindings, page types, printing, duplication, and identification of later reproductions.

- Annotation as a unique record of the making of a film.

- Tools for understanding a script from historical, thematic, and curatorial perspectives.

- A detailed breakdown of a sample script, using various reference tools.



Illustrated in color with over 130 examples of scripts of well-known films in every genre. With an index that references proper terminology used throughout the book.



Kevin R. Johnson is a rare-book dealer and a scholar of the nexus of film and literature. He is the author of two previous works published by Oak Knoll Press: The Dark Page and The Dark Page II: Books that Inspired American Film Noir. He has curated an exhibition of rare photographs of film directors on the set at the American Film Institute, and has lectured on the subject of film script identification at Yale University and the University of Virginia's Rare Book School.