Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard [Paperback]

Matt Taylor (Author), Steven Spielberg (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011

Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist for Interior Design (3 or More Color)

Bill Fischer Award Finalist for Best First Book (Nonfiction)

 

The filming of the blockbuster film Jaws is regarded as a landmark event in both the history of motion pictures and the quaint New England island of Martha’s Vineyard, where the geographic isolation necessitated the hiring of hundreds of locals to work as actors and laborers. Among this virtual army of hometown participants were numerous professional and amateur photographers, each with full access to the production’s inner workings—for the first time ever this compiles their behind-the-scenes photographs and stories into a treasure trove of Jaws rarities. Included are a foreword by director Steven Spielberg, interviews with production designer Joe Alves, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, location casting director Shari Rhodes, and more, providing an unprecedented all-access pass to the creation of some of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in film history. This unique compendium is the first to focus on the production’s local participants, telling their stories at last.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An astonishing behind-the-scenes anthology of pictures, recollections, and anecdotes.”  —Steven Spielberg, director, Jaws

“A gorgeously produced coffee table book; much more than a mere series of pretty stills, Taylor’s work ambitiously offers what amounts to a nearly scene-by-scene accounting of the making of one of history’s most-beloved films.”  —Kirkus Reviews

“You'll spend hours picking through beautifully written stories, quotes, and captions for behind-the-scenes tidbits you won't learn anywhere else.”  —Field & Stream

“Taylor's remarkable book is an exhaustive, no-stone unturned, absolutely un-put-downable saga of the shoot that took over the island and the lives of its denizens. If you're a fan of moviemaking in general or Jaws in particular, you absolutely cannot be without this book.”  —Michael Gingold, managing editor, Fangoria magazine

“A book that even the biggest Jaws-a-holic among us (and there are plenty) will drop everything for.”  —Yankee magazine

“The book is chock full of anecdotes and is bursting with more than 1000 pix shot by residents that have never been seen before. This behind-the-scenes beauty is an absolute must have.”  —Michael Rogers, LibraryJournal.com

“The original 'summer blockbuster' has now been given a gorgeous, colorful treatment in Matt Taylor’s tome Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard. Gorgeous to look at, informative and enlightening to read, and surely a pleasure to revisit in the years to come. Unbelievably recommended.”  —Andy Dursin, Film Score Monthly

“It is charming and as handsome and thorough as any book about a film production could hope to be.”  —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Matt Taylor is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he studied early American history. He is a 15th-generation resident of Martha’s Vineyard. He lives in West Tisbury, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Moonrise Media (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983350205
• ISBN-13: 978-0983350200
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 11.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, the definitive "Making Of JAWS" book that we've been waiting for! October 19, 2011

By JawsFan75

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Length: 0:34 Mins

Fifteen years ago I was young (much younger than I am right now...) and I vividly remember spending hours and hours scouring the Web for any pictures related to the movie JAWS. I hunted for screenshots, behind-the-scenes pictures, covers from around the world, shots of the actors and actresses from other movies they had done, related interviews, ANTYHING. Then, when I was around twelve or thirteen my parents took me to Martha's Vineyard for the first time. We weren't going for the beaches or the seafood; we were going for the JAWS locations. When we got there they hired a taxi to show us many of the filming locations. We went from one end of the island to the other. I remember going past Craig Kingsbury's house, the lot in Menemsha where Quint's shack once stood, and the sandy sanctuary (by the standards of any JAWS fan) on South Beach where the opening scene bon fire was. All the while I was in heaven, but also felt there was something missing. I thought there had to be more to see from the film, more relics from `74, and more stories from the locals. Despite having these suspicions, I could never figure out where to find such things or, if they did indeed exist, how to even attempt finding them.

Fast-forward to 2011: After years of hard work, Matt and Jim's book - no, their 296 page treasure chest -- is released and, finally, my fifteen year thirst for JAWS pictures and stories is quenched. Never before has there been a film, book, or article to encapsulate all there is to know and see about JAWS. This brilliant book is a dream come true for movie lovers, fans of JAWS, Spielberg enthusiasts, appreciators of New England history, and history buffs in general. So, when I think of Matt and Jim's book I think of brilliance and hard work, and I think of both of those things existing on every page of their book.

John C.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that JAWS fans have been waiting for. October 5, 2011

By Kortick VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I remember seeing JAWS when it came out in that summer of 1975. I was just a kid, and all everyone was talking about was this movie. Well, I saw it the first time and well that wasn't enough so every weekend me and my friends went and saw it over and over.

We used to visit the Vineyard every summer and living in New England, the beaches in the movie looked like the beaches I spent my summers at. In fact, we were on a visit to the island when it was being filmed but didn't pay any attention to the production, just remember being told they were filming a movie at the time.

I am a huge fan of the films of David Lynch and John Waters and many others, but for me, JAWS will always be #1.

What a great idea the author had to go around and ask the people who were there on the island for memories and photos they took of the making of the film. It seems he was expecting a few people to have maybe a couple somewhere if he was lucky. Instead what he got was a treasure trove of never before seen pics and stories and compiled them into the BEST book about the movie JAWS yet. A day by day shooting of the film and much more is in these these pages. The book is over sized, printed on high quality paper and almost 300 pages long. The cover price may seem high, but the people who put this book together made it a top quality, coffee table style book printed on gloss, heavy paper. It justifies its cost with no questions.

If you are a fan of JAWS, then you need to see this book. Buy it with no doubt that it is incredible, but if the price is too high see if a library has one (at which point you will start saving up money for your own copy, I promise).

I wish this book had come out years ago, but its here now. And its amazing.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars wow~! October 3, 2011

By A. T. Williamson

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Even being a long-time hard-core JAWS fan (Spielberg has made a lot of movies but, to me, he will always be known as the guy who directed JAWS, period!) I was hesitant to pay a whopping $45.00 for a paperback book on the making of the film --especially considering the fact that I've already read (and re-rerad, and re-read) all the previously published books of this subject, and I figured I already knew everything there is to know about the production of this classic film, and I was sure I have already seen every behind-the-scenes on set still taken during the filming that existed. I was wrong on all counts. First of all, it's not your normal paperback -- or even trade paperback. It's an enormous cofee-table book. I can barely hold the thing using both hands. Secondly, it was conceived and written with a rather clever and original slant: the author went back to Marhta's Vineyard and contacted everyone who was living there during 1973-74 and who ended up working on the film, both on camera and behind the scenes, interviewed them, and littered the book with the local's NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED behind-the-scenes candid shots that they shot during the production.

The resulting book enables the reader to experience the making of the film from the eyes of the locals. It also exposes to reader to HUNDEDS of on set candid shots taking during the filming that have NEVER been seen/published before. And if that's not enough: the writer also chronicles the making of the film in the order that it was actualy shot, day by day, starting with the first day of production. For ANY JAWS fan, this book is an engrossing read and a must-have volume.

Is it worth its steeep $45.00 price tag. You better believe it. I'd pay twice its price for this invaluable book.