Flesh and fantasy ( )

I read and loved Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon books and so I jumped at the chance to buy Flesh and Fantasy when it bobbed up in the remainders bin at the local bookshop.

While it's not in the same league as Hollywood Babylon (Anger, for all his sins, is a writer par-excellence) and Stallings doesn't ape Anger's sensationalist gossipy style, but Flesh and Fantasy's behind-the-scenes coverage of early Hollywood is still readable. ( )

Fans of Kenneth Anger's "Hollywood Babylon" books will almost certainly enjoy "Flesh and Fantasy." The style, however, is much less sensationalistic. The topic is old Hollywood but the focus is less on gossip and scandals and more so on backstage or behind-the-scenes info. Loads of photographs (though all in black and white) and with attractive and interesting layouts. A lovely coffee-table book for film buffs. ( )