"Richard Barsam has given us as comprehensive a study of the originsand development of the nonfiction mode in motion pictures as we are ever likely tohave in one volume. He draws on all the major written sources and many which arelittle known, and he shares with us many eloquent descriptions of the filmsthemselves, giving us a valuable textbook." -- Richard DyerMacCann ..". superb work... " -- Historical Journal ofFilm, Radio, and Television