This is a cute little book – part of a small format hardcover series of Facts, Figures and Fun on a wide range of subjects. And this is one of the two titles thus far that crossover into science fiction, fantasy or horror, although of the two this is the lesser crossover – the other focuses on science fiction films.

Anyway, to this book. Here we have 96 pages of facts and titbits regarding the whole genre of noir movies. From the original American movies through the French continuation of the type in the years following its demise in the US cinema when the era of 'B' Movie ended at the start of the sixties, and then into the neo-noir of the later years of cinema.

In these pages you will find background details on the best noir directors through the years, a selection of some of the best films noir made, and detailed guides to some of the best authors – the people whose crime novels inspired the early development of the genre. This includes Dashiel Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Added into the mix a section on fantasy noir films and we have a great fun little book.

And then for me there is the greatest thing about this – one small little fact. And that little fact is the original of the phrase "film noir".

I like trivia, the odd bits of information that might not have any intrinsic value but are likely to pique the interest of the reader. And judging from the success of the Trivial Pursuit game I am not alone in liking trivia.

So here we have a book for all film fans and addicts of inconsequential facts. Try it, it's one those books you will not regret – especially when you can drop some of these facts into conversation and look smart.

Synopsis
This book is useful for film-lovers of all ages. We're living in the middle of a Cinema Noir revival - to the extent that in recent years a whole new category of movie has been identified: "neo-noir". On television there are hugely popular festivals of noir and an explosion of DVD releases of cinema classics has added to the public awareness of and appreciation for the great noir-classics, and even the noir B-movies, of yesteryear. Where once noir was regarded as having the drive-in or the early-hours television slot as its natural home, now it is being rightly seen as an important contributor to cinematic history. In this short but well-researched book you will find a treasure-house of noir, from the classics to the turkeys, from the modern to the ancestral, as you brush shoulders with some of the great screen stars who forced this genre into the limelight whatever the critics of the day might say: Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Veronica Lake, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Robert Mitchum...And this is not to ignore the authors upon whose fictions the movies were based: Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain and more. Is that a gun in your pocket, or is it a copy of this book? Award-winning author of many non-fiction books on Science Fiction and fantasy and of some 50 fantasy novels, Scottish-born John Grant lives in New Jersey., USA. He is a huge film buff with a collection of over 3,000 videos and DVDs. He is author of Sci-Fi Movies Facts, Figures & Fun.