Denis Gifford's British Film Catalogue

[Lord Brett]

The above book is one of the most useful reference guides I have ever come across for researching British movies made before the 80s, but copies are hellishly expensive.



A big city library will generally have one, but your very own second-hand copy will cost over 100 quid - until now!



I looked on abebooks.com, and found lots of expensive UK copies, then kept scrolling and found that American suppliers were stocking secondhand copies for about £20. Even with postage, that's a major saving, and my copy is on its way from Alberqueqe (or however you spell it) New Mexico.



Result!

[julian_craster]

<American suppliers were stocking secondhand copies for about £20>





Surely not the 2000 edition [in two volumes] which sells for over UK£200 ?

[penfold]

name='julian_craster']<American suppliers were stocking secondhand copies for about £20>





Surely not the 2000 edition [in two volumes] which sells for over UK£200 ?

No, the 1973 or 1986 one-volume editions....

[Lord Brett]

Has anyone seen the 2000 edition? The libraries round my way don't keep it. Does it simply bring the earlier versions up to date or is there significany pre-1985 new material?

[Lord Brett]

I just found out that the retailer has canelled my order. They said the book is anavailable, so I've tried another seller - here's hoping, as it would be very useful for a project I'm working on.

[aphra]

name='Lord Brett']Has anyone seen the 2000 edition? The libraries round my way don't keep it. Does it simply bring the earlier versions up to date or is there significany pre-1985 new material?

The 2000 edition, which I seem to remember did not come out until about 2001 or even 2002 (and which Denis Gifford sadly did not live to see in print), contains a second volume devoted to documentary and non-fiction films, a very useful addition to the 1973 and 86 editions. I was very fortunate to buy a mint set via eBay for an inclusive £89.48 in March 2005 to replace my old '73 edition (which Denis had sold to me in 1994 for £50!). I notice the IMDb spells his name incorrectly with two 'n' s. I would like to correct this, but the whole palava of making a change is so wrought with difficulties, that I don't relish the thought of embarking on the edit.

[Steve Crook]

name='aphra']The 2000 edition, which I seem to remember did not come out until about 2001 or even 2002 (and which Denis Gifford sadly did not live to see in print), contains a second volume devoted to documentary and non-fiction films, a very useful addition to the 1973 and 86 editions. I was very fortunate to buy a mint set via eBay for an inclusive £89.48 in March 2005 to replace my old '73 edition (which Denis had sold to me in 1994 for £50!). I notice the IMDb spells his name incorrectly with two 'n' s. I would like to correct this, but the whole palava of making a change is so wrought with difficulties, that I don't relish the thought of embarking on the edit.

I've submitted a name correction to the IMDb citing the BFI page about him & his collection



Steve

[Lord Brett]

My copy of the 1985 edition arrived from the states this morning, though I had to stump up a bit extra for postage, which I expected. The condition, especially considering the fact that it's a 22 year old ex-library copy, is absolutely marvellous. The copies I've been usijng in UK libraries are nearly falling to bits - I guess Christine is one of the few US-based fans of British films, so it hasn't been used much.



A shame in a way, but very good news for me and anyone else who wants to bag a copy.

[noglea]

I live near Swiss Cottage library which has good conditon copies of both recent volumes so I just pop in there if there is something I need to look up.

[orpheum]

I remember him giving a lecture at the NFT to introduce the book.However as i had Quinlan i did not to my regret by his book.However i do have the BFI montly bulliteins to cover the 60s and 70s.

[Lord Brett]

Now that's a good collection. I've got most editions films and filming from 1960 to 1976, but MFB, with it's comprehensive film reviews, is a real treaure tove.

[julian_craster]

with it's comprehensive film reviews, is a real treaure tove.





You can buy a complete run of MFB on microfilm ......(the cost, with home microfilm reader is about £1, 000)

[lemmycaution]

In the 60s, Peter Cowie edited a series of small reference books published by Zwemmer in the U.K. and Barnes in the U.S. In 1968, came British Cinema, An Illustrated Guide by Denis Gifford, a short (174pp) precursor to his magnum opus.

[TimR]

I just bought this last week on sale at a lending library clearance. It is the one volume edition, so I suppose it is not the best, but it was only 50 cents. It is in excellent condition. I was very pleased with the find. It appears to be a very comprehensive work.

[penfold]

name='TimR']I just bought this last week on sale at a lending library clearance. It is the one volume edition, so I suppose it is not the best, but it was only 50 cents. It is in excellent condition. I was very pleased with the find. It appears to be a very comprehensive work.

So you should be.....50c !! Very nice....

[TimR]

name='penfold']So you should be.....50c !! Very nice....

Yes - it is the 1973 edition, so of course it is far from complete! But my interest is mostly in old films anyway and it is in mint condition as it was a reference book and never left the library; the amount of material is remarkable.



The library replaced it with the new double edition so I lucked out.

[NickJackson]

Hi all,



I'm new to Britmovie today and have been looking into buying a secondhand copy of Denis Gifford's British Film Catalogue. Despite trawling the internet, I still haven't seen a review of the book that explains specifically what it contains.



i.e.

what does it say about each film listed? Is it just a listing or does it list actors/actresses and have a brief summary of the film plot etc.



Does it have a cross-reference of actors/actresses to the films they appeared in?





Also, I'm really interested in films from the 1940's to 1960's, so is it worth buying a later copy of the BFC, say the 2001 edition?



Sorry for the questions but I'm trying to sort out my holiday reading for 4th July and being a newbie I'm trying to work out the most detailed book(s) to invest in.



Regards

Nick

[Wee Sonny MacGregor]

Is it just a listing or does it list actors/actresses and have a brief summary of the film plot etc. - Yes, that's pretty much it, plus name of the distributors etc



Does it have a cross-reference of actors/actresses to the films they appeared in? Not that I can recall.



Having said that it's a staggering piece of research. I go the library to look it up and although it would be nice to have a copy there's the price to consider. I find David Quinlan's British Sound Films 1928-1959 to be pretty useful.

[Houdi Elbow]

QUOTE=NickJackson;325818]Hi all,



I'm new to Britmovie today and have been looking into buying a secondhand copy of Denis Gifford's British Film Catalogue. Despite trawling the internet, I still haven't seen a review of the book that explains specifically what it contains.



i.e.

what does it say about each film listed? Is it just a listing or does it list actors/actresses and have a brief summary of the film plot etc.



Does it have a cross-reference of actors/actresses to the films they appeared in?





Also, I'm really interested in films from the 1940's to 1960's, so is it worth buying a later copy of the BFC, say the 2001 edition?



Sorry for the questions but I'm trying to sort out my holiday reading for 4th July and being a newbie I'm trying to work out the most detailed book(s) to invest in.



Regards

Nick[/QUOTE]





Here's a sample entry to give you a better idea of what you get. (Incidentally, I have the 2001 3rd edition (1985-1994) which includes over 1,000 new entries covering all years not just those since the previous editions (1895-1970 and 1895-1985) so it's best to go for the newest edition regardless of your era of interest.)



And if you can't see the image (as has happened before when I've posted a picture!) PM me with your email address and I'll send it as an Attachment...





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