The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western [Paperback]

Phil Hardy (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In The Western, editor Phil Hardy provides commentary on every Western you've ever heard of--and hundreds that you haven't--from the commencement of the sound period until 1990. Eschewing the conventional star ratings for each film, Hardy instead opts for generous, detailed commentary. The films are listed chronologically, and each decade is preceded by instructive essays that detail the period's trends. Appendices include critics' lists of the best Westerns ever made, all-time Western rental champs, a list of important Westerns that were inspired by novels, and an appendix of Western films that Hardy was unable to cover in detail.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879516259
• ISBN-13: 978-0879516253
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,517,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Pop Culture

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Resource, October 20, 2002

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Paperback)

If, like me, you love Westerns and have cable, this is a book you need to own. Its detailed synopses and reviews have helped me over and over again in deciding what previously-unknown movie to set the timer for. Each capsule-essay includes year of release, run time, director, major stars, and some information about the story, with brief critical remarks. The many bw photographs, though rather small, are just so much gravy. You can also just sit down with it and start going through the listings so you can compose a Wish List! With this book and Fenin & Everson's "The Western," you have a good basic foundation in Western-film criticism and history.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable reference book, November 15, 2001

By 

Michael Samerdyke (Big Stone Gap, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Paperback)

More than a dry listing of what westerns came out in what year, The Overlook Encyclopedia is actually fun to read.

The book begins in the 1930s (so no silent Westerns)and lists the Westerns that came out each year, giving a brief plot synopsis and then an evaulation.

The value of the book is that it shows the reader how many Westerns Hollywood made and when production rose and fell off. Also, the comments on the individual films are interesting and can point the reader in the direction of some films he might not otherwise have heard of.

The book concludes with several "ten best Western" lists from different film critics. Overall, a useful book for anyone interested in this genre.

4.0 out of 5 stars ONE GIANT FAULT OF WHICH TO BE AWARE, January 8, 2012

By 

M. Wadle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Western (Paperback)

I have just ordered this book. I had not done so previously because I have the first edition of this book written under a different title in about 1983. That is a wonderful book for the western fan and is a "must-own" in my opinion. However, one VERY SIGNIFICANT FAULT in that book is the fact that the author included an extremely high number of spoilers in the synopsis of most of the films. Why he would do that I cannot understand. But, be aware, if you do not want to read spoilers than do not read the thumbnail sketch of each film's plot before you view the film or you may be disappointed. I am hoping that the author did not repeat this stupid mistake in this new edition of the book. Otherwise I cannot say enough good things about the earlier edition.