Rouben Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (The Film Classics Library), by Richard J. Anobile

Rouben Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (The Film Classics Library), by Richard J. Anobile. 1975 first printing hardcover. 256 pages, very nice condition.

The film was based on the story of Dr. Jekyll, a famous young doctor, who experiments upon himself and, by drinking a potion, becomes an evil embodiment of himself. After a time, he realizes that his evil self, Mr. Hyde, returns automatically without the aid of the drug. After murdering a man, Dr. Jekyll fights to remain the good doctor, rather than the evil Mr. Hyde, and ends by killing himself with poison.

This book contains almost all the stills of the 1931 film, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It is, essentially, the film in paper format, illustrated by stills and "subtitles" of the dialogue. Anobile pioneered the use of the movie frame blow-up technique to recreate entire films in book form. His books were valuable resources especially in a time before VCR's and DVD's and the internet. While they might be viewed as simplistic picture books now, they were an attempt at curating film at a time when it was often still an after-thought.