Ray Harryhausen (1920–2013)

With all of the incredible computer-generated special effects these days, it's easy to look back at Ray Harryhausen's creations and think of them as old-fashioned and quaint. But whenever I see one of those glorious stop-motion creatures, I'm instantly 10 years old again, sitting in a darkened theatre with the widest eyes you've ever seen. This gorgeous book tells some of Harryhausen's story, which is fascinating, but trust me, you want this book for the pictures, not the words: working show more sketches, never-before-seen creatures, and all of your old favorites on beautiful glossy pages. show less

This was insanely cool to read through. Ray is a special effects OG and pioneered a lot of monster movie effects through claymation. His skill and eye for detail even at a young age is pretty astounding, reminded me of the ultimate Commercial Arts student. Reading and seeing examples of the artists who inspired him like Gustave Doré was very cool. This book is huge, lends itself well for the artistic reproductions. Also fascinating to read Ray's commentary on the models he's saved for 40-50 show more years. A true collector. Check out this post for a sample of his work: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-cinematic-and-artistic-genius-of-ray-harr... show less

**** for 20 Million Miles to Earth, a crackerjack SF flick with a great Harryhausen monster; *** for It Came From Beneath The Sea, based very loosely on Ray Bradbury's "The Foghorn." Read the story and skip the movie.

I have a signed copy from both of the authors, after watching Clash of the Titans - they gave a Q&A session afterwards.