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Film Noir Books

Whether you are a film historian, student, or avid fan, there are sure to be film noir books catering to your specific interest. Many, many books have been written on the subject, attesting to the genre's popularity and fascination.

On this page, you'll find the film noir books of a more general nature. If you want to explore one of the other categories, follow the appropriate link below.

Books on film noir directors
Books about film noir actors
Books on noir writers

If you can't find the book that intrigues you at your local library or bookstore, you might have better luck at one of the online bookstores, such as Amazon. Many are available in paperback editions.

Alloway, Lawrence, Violent America: the movies, 1946-1964
New York Museum Of Modern Art 1971

Christopher, Nicholas, "Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City
New York: The Free Press 1997

Doane, Mary Ann, The Desire to Desire: The Woman's Film of the 1940's (Theories of Representation and Difference)
Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1987

Friedrich, Otto, City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940's
Berkeley & Los Angeles: University Of California Press 1986

Gifford, Barry, The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Other Unforgettable Movies
Grove Press 1988

Higham, Charles and Greenberg, Joel, "Hollywood In The Forties"
New York: A.S. Barnes: 1968

Hirsch, Foster, The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir
New York: A.S. Barnes 1981

Kaplan, E. Ann, (editor), Women in Film Noir
London: British Film Institute 1980

Karimi, Amir M., Toward A Definition Of The American Film Noir. 1941-1949.
New York: Arno Press 1976

Naremore, James, More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts
Berkeley: University Of California Press 1998

Ottoson, Robert, "A Reference Guide To The American Film Noir"
Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press 1981

Rich, Nathaniel, "San Francisco Noir: The City In Film Noir From 1940 To The Present"
New York: The Little Bookroom 2005

Selby, Spencer, Dark City: The Film Noir
Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company 1984

Shadoian, Jack, Dreams and Dead Ends: The American Gangster Film
Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press 1977

Silver, Alain and Ward, Elizabeth, (editors),
"Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to The American Style" Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press 1979 Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition
Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press 1979

Silver, Alain and Ursini, James, L.A. Noir: The City as Character
Santa Monica Press 2005

Silver, Alain and Ursini, James, (editors),
Film Noir Reader
New York: Limelight Editions 1996

Taylor, John Russell, "Hollywood 1940s"
London: Multimedia Publications (UK) Ltd. 1985

Telotte, J.P., Voices in the Dark: THE NARRATIVE PATTERNS OF *FILM NOIR*
Urbana: University Of Illinois Press 1989

Tuska, Jon, Dark Cinema: American Film Noir in Cultural Perspective (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture)
Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood 1984