Part of a series of reference books that give detailed information on a wide variety of subjects and interests. This book is a visual guide to the history of the cinema - its technology and development from the first silent movies to epic, contemporary films. The history starts from the cinema's early precursors such as Javanese shadow puppets, the Magic Lantern and Edward Muybridge's experiments with the photography of movement, to the first movie cameras and projectors, the development of sound and the glamour of Hollywood. The book features all the major genres from Westerns to epics and from horror films to comedies.