The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia

I recently got re-interested in Charlie Chan films so naturally I started looking at CC books as well. I saw this one and read the reviews and decided to purchase it. Since I have a large library of books I bought the library edition as I plan to use it as reference and keep it. The Library edition has a great binding but bland blue cover (you can see in the Amazon "look inside" feature)so I can not comment on the paperback edition. The contents are great. Laid out like a regular encyclopedia, A - Z, and covering just about everything you can think of from a CC film. I think Berlin did a great job. Is it perfect? No book is, but this one is damn good.I make a point of reading the 1 star reviews to get the opinions of people that did not enjoy the book and found the silliest complaints, not enough pictures, the pictures are not all from the films, the book is dull. DULL? It is an encyclopedia not a novel, this person could have seen that with the "look inside" feature.I thing Berlin did a great job and along with Hanke's book (Charlie Chan at the Movies) I have a good source of reference.

This is a book I had put off buying for a while thinking that all of the information was available elsewhere. I just bought the book and am delighted to find out how wrong I was with that thought. The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia is an extraordinary book. It is very well written and excellently illustrated. The book is designed to be used as a reference work, but I am thoroughly enjoying reading it cover to cover. There will be a direct correlation between your level of enthusiasm for all things Charlie Chan and your appreciation of this book. Mr. Berlin has done all Chan fans a wonderful service!

Very useful reference. Not a book to sit and read. Some entries become repetitous out of necessity and I had minor issues with how the author identified some aspects of his presentation. For example, he would write (fictitious character here) SMITH, John...(REAL NAME..SMITH, John T.) which maybe should have been titled "actual' name or "correct spelling". As above, John Smith IS the actors REAL name it's just NOT his COMPLETE name and maybe he never used the initial "T" in identifying himself. As differed by a listing ( fictional) of SMITH, John.. Real Name: Marvin Jones. I know I'm being nit-picky, but it's an opinion. Otherwise, the book serves it's purpose and is a welcome addition to my Chan library. Would always like to see more photographs as sometimes I have to play the DVD to see who the author is writing about.

I had been watching the Charlie Chan movies in an on-line, Monday night chatroom devoted to Chan. When this book came out i immediately snatched it up so that i could know more about the films. A friend of mine, who is also a Chan Fan, saw the book and fell in love with it. So, i ended up buying a SECOND copy for HIM. well worth it!

Book was just like new. Great service and product

Almost everything you would want to know about Charlie Chan from the actors who played him and the other characters in the movies to a summary of each of the films. The only thing missing is the identity of the killers. There is so much information here it is remarkable. The author has done a tremendous amount of research complete with a list of Charlie's aphorisms, photographs, and information about the actors, crew members, plot devices, etc.

Handsome bound version. Very satisfied and glad the extra money was spent on the hard cover. Well written with insight and detail. This book will be referenced and used extensively.

A great resource for all Chan film fans. The contents are exhaustive, with no item or reference too small or obscure. I loved the detail and meticulous researching that was done. Who but a real Chan fan would put so much effort into such a specialized work? Thanks, Howard Berlin!

Excellent compednium about facts on the oriental gentleman but can be a bit over the top and nerdy sometimes as I didn't really need to know that the bloke who walked by Charlie in Shanghai and sold him a box of matches was Walter Willis who dies in 1956 (not a true fact but it gives you the gist). Having said all that it's an interesting nightime read for fans of Charlie Chan and there are some interesting nuggets.

What a wonderful resource for Charlie Chan fans. Loved it, well researched & full of interesting material.A must for lovers of Charlie Chan movies.