The Long-Lost Autobiography of Georges Méliès book design

Art direction and design for hardback book about the father of sci-fi and fantasy cinema

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The Long-Lost Autobiography of Georges Méliès – Father of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Cinema is a 208-page hardback book from documentary film-maker and writer Jon Spira. It reprints the autobiography of Méliès, which has been out of print for over seventy years, and includes an additional set of essays and interviews, along with a comprehensive Méliès filmography.

I worked closely with Spira to art direct, design, lay out and typeset the book, creating a series of layout styles to subtly represent different sections of the book. Illustrations by Lucy Collin were used throughout, and the whole book was produced with an exacting attention to detail to make it as much a collector's item as an invaluable resource for film historians or those with an interest in the history of film.

The hardback book is cloth-bound, with a foil-blocked cover, and is available in a deluxe box set edition with additional items and souvenirs.

Read more about the project, which was backed by crowdfunding to 400% of its original target, on Kickstarter.

Client: Jon Spira