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BFI Film Classics Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of BFI Film Classics books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: April 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the BFI Film Classics series? Start with "Napoleon: Abel Gance's Classic Film (By: Kevin Brownlow)" (1982) and follow publication order through all 29 books.
The complete BFI Film Classics reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Napoleon: Abel Gance's Classic Film (By: Kevin Brownlow)
1982
The Seventh Seal (By: Melvyn Bragg)
1993
L'Atalante (By: Marina Warner)
1993
It's a Gift (By: Simon Louvish)
1994
Things to Come (By: Christopher Frayling)
1995
The Big Sleep (By: David Thomson)
1997
The Thing
1997
The Birds (By: Camille Paglia)
1998
Crash (By: Iain Sinclair)
1999
Sanshô Dayû (By: Dudley Andrew)
1999
Titanic (By: David M. Lubin)
2000
Belle de Jour (By: Michael Wood)
2001
The Manchurian Candidate (By: Greil Marcus)
2002
The Exorcist (By: Mark Kermode)
2003
Kind Hearts and Coronets (By: Michael Newton)
2003
The Matrix (By: Joshua Clover)
2004
City Lights (By: Charles J. Maland)
2007
Ratcatcher (By: Annette Kuhn)
2008
2001: A Space Odyssey (By: Peter Krämer)
2010
The Best Years of Our Lives (By: Sarah Kozloff)
2011
Meshes of the Afternoon (By: John David Rhodes)
2011
Caché (By: Catherine Wheatley)
2012
Spirited Away (By: AndrewOsmond)
2014
The Shawshank Redemption (By: Mark Kermode)
2019
The Silence of the Lambs (By: Yvonne Tasker)
2019
Silent Running (By: Mark Kermode)
2019
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (By: A.L. Kennedy)
2020
The Big Lebowski (By: J.M. Tyree)
2020
Fear Eats the Soul (By: Laura Cottingham)
2020
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