THE WESTERN: The Aurum Film Encyclopedia (1995) (Book (non-fiction))

ISBN: 1854103814

It’s been through a number of major revisions but I think the one I have (now quite old) is probably the most recent, covering the sound era from the 1930s up to 1990. Obviously that cut-off means it misses some notable recent films, but it certainly covers the classic era pretty thoroughly. Each film has cast and crew details and a short synopsis/review. It’s generally pretty accurate and most of the reviews I feel are fair.

From my point of view the main weakness is its coverage of the Italian Western. It’s coverage is a little sparse beyond the obvious Sergio Leone ones (it’s missing some important ones, for example, “The Great Silence” and “Keoma”). I also get the feeling the author doesn’t really like the Spaghetti Western, while I often find even the middling ones have something of interest.

However, as a general overview I do recommend it.