Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece
Christopher Frayling
Reel Art Press, £50, pp336
This sumptuously produced book is both a fine tribute to Sergio Leone’s 1968 masterpiece and an insightful look into how a piece of cinema can gather an almost mythic reputation in the half-century since it was produced. Frayling’s scrupulously researched and consistently surprising text features in-depth interviews with everyone from Tarantino to Scorsese, as well as the enjoyably irascible composer Ennio Morricone, which place the film in its cultural and cinematic context. Meanwhile, rare and previously unseen photographs and sketches mean that this admittedly pricey volume will be a must-buy for any Leone aficionado or serious scholar of film.
The Road to Grantchester
James Runcie
Bloomsbury, £14.99, pp336
After the success of his novels featuring crime-fighting cleric Sidney Chambers (and the Grantchester TV adaptation), Runcie heads back to the 1930s for this unexpectedly moving prequel. We meet Sidney as a brave but terrified soldier in finely written wartime scenes that have the bloody tang of realism about them, before the book takes a sharp turn into more thoughtful, nuanced territory of love, loss and faith in the Lord. Admirers of Runcie’s earlier books will enjoy this, but newcomers will find a great deal to divert them as well.
Hey! Listen!
Steve McNeil
Headline, £14.99, pp352 (paperback)
McNeil’s journey through the golden age of video games will strike nostalgia into the heart of those console enthusiasts who know their Sonic the Hedgehog from their Super Mario Brothers. McNeil, the self-described “pale, geeky” one from TV show Go 8 Bit, is an enthusiastic – perhaps too enthusiastic – guide to the way in which gaming shifted from a pursuit for teenage boys in arcades to something virtually ubiquitous in every household. Whether or not you’re a committed gamer, this is probably the definitive guide to 1980s and 90s escapism – and a fun, lively read.
• To order Once Upon a Time in the West, The Road to Grantchester, or Hey! Listen!, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £15, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
