"Good Movies as Old Books" by Matt Stevens is a captivating fusion of film and design, perfect for anyone who appreciates the intersection of visual art and storytelling. This book is an absolute gem for cinephiles and bibliophiles alike, and I can already see it becoming a staple for film students, art students, art collectors, graphic artists, and design enthusiasts. If you're someone who admires the intricate beauty of book covers and the visual language of film, "Good Movies as Old Books" will speak directly to you.
The concept behind this book is fascinating. Matt Steven's idea came to life after collaborating with a friend on a project where they pitched a potential new movie property as a book cover. This sparked a deep dive into the art of visually translating movies into the world of book covers. It's a brilliant concept, and Matt Stevens pulls it off with great insight, blending the worlds of cinema and print in a way that feels both nostalgic and refreshing.
As I turned the pages, I could almost "smell" the scent of these imagined movie covers — the type of scent that reminds you of old books and vintage film posters. The imagery here isn’t just superficial; it’s a deep celebration of how movies and books intertwine in the visual realm. Each page is an invitation to revisit some of the greatest cinematic moments, reimagined in book form.
Reading "Good Movies as Old Books" has me itching to rewatch several beloved films, like Some Kind of Wonderful, Ocean’s Eleven, The Goonies, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These films, which are already staples in pop culture, now feel even more special as I envision their reimagined book covers.
Even more exciting is the urge this book gives me to watch films I haven't seen yet. Titles like Beau is Afraid, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Mad Max: Fury Road are now on my must-watch list, thanks to the striking, thought-provoking way Matt Stevens explores these films visually.
With its official release set for April 2025, I can’t wait to add this book to my collection. In fact, I’m already planning on purchasing a copy for myself and for my graphic artist niece, who will undoubtedly appreciate the thought and creativity behind each page. Whether you're a movie buff, a design lover, or simply someone who enjoys looking at art in new ways, "Good Movies as Old Books" is a must-have. Go pick up your copy today and immerse yourself in the magical marriage of movies and books!

An interesting idea and a beautiful book . . . but, for me, there was a singularity to the style(s) of each cover that left me somewhat cold as I worked my way through the titles. Definitely worked as a throw back to the paper back aesthetic of years back but, ultimately, I lost interest as the styles seemed sort of the same ole same ole after awhile.

This was a fun book that imagines numerous movies as book covers. I would recommend it for movie and graphic design fans. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book includes a lot of really fun designs that really feel like they'd be right at home in some bargain bin of old paperbacks. I would 100% buy poster versions of the "Before" trilogy designs! To me, the most effective covers were the ones that managed to establish the vibe of the story, while showcasing an image that would be indecipherable without the context of the story. "Psycho" being the particular cover that I'm thinking of as the most impressive design, with "Everything, Everywhere All At Once" and "Nope" also being excellent examples of this. Overall, this would make for a perfect coffee table book for anyone who loves both movies and old paperbacks.

This was so fun! I loved seeing some of my favorite movies being made into vintage books. All of the details were spot on. Definitely a must for movie and book lovers!

This is a perfect coffee table book for movie and book lovers. It’s as described. Good movies redesigned as old books. The artwork is beautiful, creative, and delightful. I would love to see the art cards.

I’m somewhat of a movie buff so this was a fun picture book for adults to “read”. The art was amazing and I did lost account how many of the covers I thought it was my favorite. This would be fun coffee table book and conversation starter for both books and movies.

I was hoping there would have been something more though so I would have the urge to go back to this multiple times.

I recommend this to all movie, book and art lovers. It’s definitely worth of checking out.

Good Movies as Old Books is a visual book with reimagined posters for classic or well-known films as old books. It reframes these films as books published in the 1980s and 1990s, with simple and basic covers capturing general themes from the books.

This collection of images captures the time and essence of each film as a book cover. My public library customers would be unlikely to give it a chance, but to me it is a lovely expression of the moods of cinema.

Good Movies as Old Books is the perfect mix of art, cinema and reading. Looking through these movie titles reimagined as vintage book covers was a real treat. I was brought back to my younger years and that nastolgic feeling of watching a movie or reading a book for the first time. I couldn't help but smile while reminiscing.

Matt Stevens rocks at designing his specific brand of art, the attention to detail is amazing, and I would enjoy some of these pieces in my home.

This was so beautiful! Good movies as old books is the ultimate cinephile x bookworm combo, Such an easy quick read, and I was so happy to see some old fave movies make their way into this, as well as take ideas for my next movie night! Overall a very creative and we'll executed idea for a book!

This is a clever idea that produces really incredible art. I was intrigued to see what design aspects Stevens chose to highlight for each film/book. There are a lot of favorites here, and the love the author has for cinema is evident.

An interesting exercise in design. The book covers that embrace a more interpretive vision of the films are more successful than ones that are images directly from the movies. Surprising to see so many newer films on here, would have preferred older, more established films, as opposed to ones already designated to being forgotten after a few years. Despite that qualm, the quality of the images and the idea are well executed.

I love the variety of books included. I just wish there was more to the book. It really feels like I am looking through someone's Instagram, which is neat I just would have liked something about the movies. Maybe a brief synopsis or fun fact about the choices. The covers were very well done and it was neat to look at.

4 stars

Good Movies as Old Books by Matt Steven’s was available on NetGalley. It’s exactly what it sounds like. The artist took his favorite films and turned them into vintage books.

The level of detail was impressive. The creases, price stickers, and visible wear as impressive. Stevens goes hard at turning the films he’s loved into vintage books.

His choices for how he opted to represent these films were interesting. Some felt spot on while others made me ponder. I loved it when he added the occasional title page too. It really tickled me when it was a book cover of a movie inspired by a book. Very meta.

I’d definitely recommend a physical copy of this for any film or pop culture buffs in your life. 5/5

Well this was fun ☺️ … definitely a unique concept with the artwork from movies depicted as older book covers. I’m not truly a movie nerd so didn’t recognize all the titles, but a total book nerd appreciating the artwork for the book covers. Made me nostalgic for going to rummage sales, perusing through other people’s treasures.

Thank you to NetGalley.and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really fun book that reinvents movies into old book covers. It was fascinating to see the authors interpretation of each movie. And it was nostalgic to see the old covers. It makes me wish that these were actual books that you could read.

Art and culture blend well in this collection. It reimagined our favorite films as novels worthy of framing on the wall. Highly recommend for filmmakers and movie clubs and readers of popular novels.

This right here was brilliant. I loved it and I loved how aesthetically pleasing it was. It was ASMR for me.

This is an ARC review. Thank you NetGalley & Chronicle Publishing for the advance readers copy.

Wow! Matt Steven’s did something pretty special here, and strange at the same time. Let me explain…
I am very familiar with all of the films referenced in his art, included in this beautiful book of “books”. However, while I I was thumbing through these images, admiring them, I felt as if I was being transported back, that they were actual classic/vintage books. Even down to the small details of the price stickers on the covers…oh how that made me giggle. I cannot quite put it into words but what I know is I felt things, it was the strangest feeling having my brain rattled a little. It threw me for a loop, Strange but enjoyable!

This publication, Good Movies as Old Books, is a must read and must buy for movie lovers. It is a perfect gift for any occasion (holidays, birthday). The images can be looked over time and time again and never get old. Matt Steven’s is quite the talent and this book is a collections of some really fun and beautiful work. I cannot wait to get my hands on a few copies, for myself and as gifts. I foresee this set being in many, many homes. The release date can’t get here fast enough!!!

Matt Stevens’ Good Movies as Old Books is an almost stratospherically high-concept work, approximately two hundred and fifty book covers in graphic design styles ranging from about the 1910s to the 1970s, but concentrated in the 40s to 60s; each of which serves as a concept poster for a film. There are captions listing the film’s title, director, writer, and very thorough accounting of media the film was based on (often leading back to a book), there is a one-page forward and a one-page introduction, and other than that, title, and copyright, there is no text. The concept is high, the concept is clear, and by the time you have looked at the first image you have digested the concept and moved past it. This book was clearly meant to stand or fall not on the strength of its concept, but of its content.

In rating the strength of that content, I bring the unique but perhaps ultimately lacking perspective of someone who has watched very few movies in their life (that’s why I’m a librarian reviewing books on netgally). Most of the films in here with which I am familiar I know from pop cultural osmosis. I have tried to give the benefit of the doubt to many of these posters that could potentially be quite clever without my knowing because I have not seen the film. My opinions of book covers also heavily favor clever symbolism and elaborate design, two things that the eras this book focuses on featured sparsely at best. Take all of this into account reading this review.

That said, how are these Old Book envisioning of Good Movies? In a word: mixed, tending towards rather good.

A fair percentage of the covers are simple exercises in the graphic style of the eras mentioned, such as those for Unforgiven or Step Brothers, which feature simple portraits of the lead characters, or those for Talk to Me or The Matrix, which feature prominent elements from the film. They might perhaps be impressive in showing Stevens’ command of a range of styles, but are not very inspired when considered both as book covers and as movie interpretations (the cover for Mad Max: Fury Road is particularly bland in composition and impressive in execution).
The same goes for covers which are merely collage of various obvious symbols relating to the film, such as those for Gattaca and Donny Darko. They might perhaps serve as hooks were they actual book covers, but also seem like they could be used for other films of that genre with little adjustment.

Finally, not the majority, but still not rare, are the book covers that serve as interesting interpretations of their movies. What makes them interesting varies: those for John Wick and Dirty Harry serve as pithy references to iconic scenes, Hoop Dreams is a simple symbolic cover rescued by its unique composition, the cover for Psycho is a brilliant focusing on a minor element, though utterly unintelligible if you know nothing of the movie, and covers such as those for Good Will Hunting or You Were Never Really Here use symbols and motifs from the films in interesting ways.

Overall, this a clever work, appropriate for libraries if not necessarily coffee table display. Stevens’ breadth and control of style is impressive and I, for one, would not mind at all if a sequel volume were to appear sometime soon.