The latest entry in the crowded field of film history encyclopedias consists primarily of short biographical essays on stars of the past and present. In addition, there are entries for some producers, directors, cinematographers, et al., as well as for important films and film terms, e.g., "best boy." The information is generally accurate. The opinions expressed are conventional, which is fine for neophytes but tends to make rather boring reading for the knowledgeable. The book is probably most similar to Ephraim Katz's The Film Encyclopedia (LJ 11/1/79), but differs in that Katz's is international in scope and has no entries for individuals film titles. Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion (Scribner, 1989. 9th ed.) is also international in scope, but even for Hollywood figures it features more entries than the Siegels' book; on the other hand, Halliwell's entries are shorter.
