Henri Bousquet (ed). Vol. II: 1907, 1908, 1909. Bassac: Editions Henri Bousquet, 1993; 256 pages, 260 FF, ISBN 2-9507296-1-4; ISBN 2-9507296-0-6 (for the complete Edition).

One year after the publication of the first volume (co-edited with Riccardo Redi), the second part of this long-awaited filmography appears under the editorship of Bousquet alone. The new format and layout lead to believe that the work as a whole (including the section devoted to the early years of the French company) will eventually be published independently from the original project.

The most significant improvement with respect to Part I is the most welcome addition of analytical indexes of titles and personalities, an indispensable working tool for archivists and scholars. The data are now easier to retrieve, and each entry is often accompanied by information on documentary sources. More problematic, however, is the absence of illustrations (probably due to financial limitations), a useful and sometimes decisive tool for identification. Chronology also seems to arouse problems: why, for example, some films listed under the heading "July 1908" appear as having been released in May or June? There may be a good reason for this, yet the author gives little explanation about such detail.

However important, it's a detail anyway, and the volume won't lose its appeal among researchers because of it. Bousquet's contribution to the activity of archive cataloguers and researchers is invaluable, and one hopes that the author will keep his pace in making the remaining sections available. Requests for copies should be addressed to the publisher, 31 avenue Maréchal Foch, 91440 Bures-sur-Yvette, France.

(P.Ch.Us.)