Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses
Although these two books appear to be similar, they are actually  very different in both intention and execution. Slide, founder  of the journal Silent Picture and the distinguished author of  more than 30 books related to the performing arts, presents a  frank and fond collection of interviews and memories of 100  silent film stars, some of whom he knew personally. The criteria  for inclusion are highly subjective; those who made the cut  (e.g., Lillian Gish, William Bakewell, and Mary Astor) represent  the author's "personal choice of some of the best, brightest or  most unusual of silent players." The result is a fascinating,  entertaining, and occasionally poignant work that invites the  reader into the fabulous world of art, industry, and  experimentation that was Hollywood in the 1910s and 1920s. The  nature of the selection process means that this volume is more  useful as a complementary resource, or even as a work to be read  for its own sake, than as a stand-alone reference. A formidable work complete with biographies, filmographies, and  photos, Katchmer's Dictionary profiles more than 1000 actors and  actresses who appeared in silent Westerns. Katchmer, a noted  columnist for Classic Images magazine, allows his voice and  opinions to come through in each entry, making this a lively and  informative read. Katchmer died in 1997 just after completing  the research and writing for this work, which his son, John,  assembled in final form. As with Silent Players, Katchmer's  Dictionary describes lives and careers full of incident and  accident. Both books are highly recommended for public or  academic libraries where there is a strong interest in silent  film or early film history.Andrea Slonosky, Long Island Univ.,  Brooklyn, NYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.