Our newest history book, “1939: The Making of Six Great Films from Hollywood’s Greatest Year” by Charles F. Adams, is a wonderfully nostalgic trip back in time to Hollywood’s classic era, and it’s already winning some rave reviews:

• “For film buffs, consider this one essential.” —David Pitt, Booklist
•  “‘1939’ is a book worthy of the year.” —Mick LaSalle, film critic, San Francisco Chronicle
•  “Adams’s thoroughness and energy make this book appealing to both movie lovers and those fascinated by the inner workings of film-making. It has sensational little-known stories, almost like a Hollywood gossip magazine, but the book has the tone and integrity of an engaging, well-researched book, including careful attention to factual accuracy and impartial narration. Adams is both historian and fanatic, giving the book both thoroughness and energy. This book will whet the appetite of movie connoisseurs.” —Melissa Wuske, ForeWord Reviews

Released just in time for Oscar season, “1939” commemorates the most amazing year in American movie history, a year that saw the release of some of the best loved classic films and the summit of Hollywood’s glamor and cultural achievement.

“1939” profiles the making of six of the most significant films of 1939: “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” covering each film from the origins of the script to the finished film’s debut and critical receptions. The story of each film is thoroughly illustrated with authentic production photos that give amazing behind-the-scenes glimpses of old Hollywood at work.

Readers will get an exciting glimpse into how some of Hollywood’s most renowned talents thought and worked, with vivid portrayals of giants like John Ford and Frank Capra in action on the set. Covering the foibles, passions, inspirations and sometimes disordered personal lives of writers, producers, directors, actors and technicians, 1939 is a masterful portrait of Hollywood at work and play — plus a scandalously delightful sourcebook of movieland gossip that’s shocking even today.

1939 tells such amazing behind-the-scenes stories as:

•  Which set in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” was so large and complex that the actors actually got lost inside it.
•  Why the best line in Twain’s novel does not appear in the film of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.
• Why Shirley Temple was not cast as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.”
•  Why it was nearly impossible to film in the perfect replica of the U.S. Senate chamber that Frank Capra built for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

Plus many more inside stories, production details, and personal revelations about the greatest movie stars of all time.

The perfect combination of film history, artistic appreciation, historical insight, and gossip, “1939: The Making of Six Great Films from Hollywood’s Greatest Year” is a book that no movie fan should miss.

Order your copy of “1939” today from Quill Driver Books.