Erish, Andrew - Vitagraph: America’s First Great Motion Picture Studio

As often noted, history is written by the victors, or simply the survivors. Per title, Vitagraph was one of the earliest US film studios. Indeed, they coined the phrase “film studio”.
This detailed book goes a long way to reestablishing Vitagraph’s importance.
Thing is, the vast history of Silent Era footage has been lost, burned, or dissolved.
Pre-1910, there are few films to look at, plus these are predominantly shorts. One or two reels.
From the beginning, Vitagraph, along with almost every other studio, was slogging it out with attorneys for Thomas Edison, who allegedly invented everything under the sun, including the air and the sun itself.
Then, there were takeover attempts as well as machinations by the Paramount mogul.
World War I damaged European rentals, as well as the Great Influenza Epidemic.
Don’t even get me going about the installment of an “efficiency expert” who chased away talent.
Most film histories and biographies end in sorrow, and Vitagraph’s story is no exception.
From Biograph to Lumière to Selig to Méliès to Griffith to Entwhistle …
An essential addition to any film fan’s bookshelf, especially Silent cinema fans.