Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History

Back to the Future has been my favorite film trilogy for as far back as I can remember, and for someone who already owns tons of books, collectibles, VHS/DVD/Blurays, and memorabilia on this series alone, I thought I had seen just about everything. I expected this book to be a mildly interesting read and just another addition to my collection. My expectations were completely shattered as I poured through this book seeing photos I've never seen before, a plethora of concept art, and details about the original versions and script of the movie I had no idea about! The fact that this book was compiled by someone who worked directly on the series allows the reader to gain insights into the creation of this trilogy that outsiders couldn't possibly know. Sure, I've read things before on how Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty, how Crispin Glover was difficult to work with, and how the time machine at one point was going to be a fridge instead of a Delorean, but this book greatly expands on all the trivia and knowledge you may think you know about this franchise and adds anecdotes and information from the producers and writers that you simply haven't heard before. Combine this with the extremely jam-packed amount of photographs, art, and inserts and well - you won't be disappointed! I love the fact that you get to read about the making of each movie in the order in which they shot everything. This book gives you a week-by-week breakdown of what happened from Day 1 until the movie hit theaters (and this goes for all 3 films!). There are snippets of the script, company emails, memos, call sheets, and tons of behind-the-scenes photos! The inserts are one of my favorite parts about this book, especially because they're of such high quality and just beautiful to look at. My only gripe was the sticky stuff they used to adhere the inserts to the pages were a little fragile. My Jaws 19 insert fell out randomly as I was reading the book about a hundred pages before I even got to that page! I was able to stick it back on, but you either need to be very careful or simply take them all out like some other reviewers have and store them away for safe keeping. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for any BttF fan and is a MUST-HAVE if you're a die-hard fan like me. The amount of content and quality that went into this book is definitely worth the price tag. My book arrived promptly and sealed up in plastic to preserve everything, which I thought was a nice touch. I know I'm going to be going through this book again soon because it was so fascinating! 5/5 product

This is THE BEST Back to the Future book I have ever read! On that list, I'm including the movie-adaptation books, the unauthorized/authorized biographies, all of them!!! THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! "Modern day kid finds a time machine, goes back and meets his parents." -pg 16 Upon first flip of the pages, you catch all the full color images and drawings, inserts like notes and tickets...it sort of feels intimidating and yet it captures your eye. The first thing you read is a letter (they're calling it a Foreward) by Michael J Fox...Marty McFly himself. It's heartfelt and genuine. And paired with a picture that graced the wall of my room at one point in my time. Then you move on to Christopher Lloyd's letter paired with an image of Doc Brown in his crazy shirt. Then Bob Gale finishes out the preface and sends you on your way to journey through the past and the future of the Back to the Future world. The story behind the movie is something amazing. Some of it I've heard of before. Most I hadn't. There's in-depth information...about casting--which, by the way, seeing Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly...NO!--about how the DeLorean became the car of choice for a time machine. Location information, shoot information...just the little things you never think about made important because it really was. Throughout the story of this film series, there are images (a lot I haven't seen before and some I've owned) of the original Marty(NO! again), drawings of time machine possibilities, blueprints of Hill Valley Square, images from the movies, costume ideas for everything from the 1885 trip all the way to the Oct 21, 2015 future. (Which is now sadly in our past. *heavy sigh*) I spent less time reading and more time studying those images/pics. Just purely mesmerized by it all. The inserts are some of the coolest things about this book: 1. Doc Brown's flux Capacitor drawing -- as seen in BTTF (pg 18) 2. The picture of Marty, Dave, & Linda -- lenticular so Dave and Linda disappear, leaving Marty by the well... just like the movie image. (pg 22) 3. Save the Clocktower Flyer -- has Jennifer's message to Marty and her phone number on the back. (pg 36) 4. Marty McFly's tardy pass -- given to him by Principal Strickland in 1985 (pg 42) 5. Marty's letter to Doc Brown -- A warning about getting shot in 1985. On Lou's Cafe stationary from 1955. (pg 56) 6. Book Cover: A Match Made in Space -- the book written by George McFly in the new 1985. (pg 82) 7. Enchantment Under the Sea picture - George McFly and Lorraine Baines. (pg 84) 8. Biff Tannen Dollar -- from the alternate horror 1985. (pg 130) 9. Receipt from Blast from the Past -- Grey's Sports Almanac $29.00 (pretty much on point with today's book prices) (pg 146) 10. Pic of Marty and Doc -- from 1885 with the clock face before it was built into the clocktower. (pg 176) 11. Letter from Doc to Marty -- delivered by Western Union moments after Marty witnessed the DeLorean being struck by lightning in 1955 (pg 195) 12. BTTF: The Ride -- production staff pass (pg 213) 13. Jaws 19 -- movie poster for the Max Spielberg directed film in 2015 (inside back cover) So, this book is a win. It's definitely geared for someone who is a die hard fan as well as someone who just likes the movie. I LOVED IT!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Especially anyone who loves the 80s, who loves MJF, or even just a BTTF fan.

I was born in the gap between the theatrical release of Back to the Future I and II. My parents (bless them!) wasted no time exposing me to this astounding and timeless series at the age of 7. I was, thenceforth, a science fiction super fan and rank BTTF among my all-time favorite pieces of pop culture across all formats. Upon the 30th anniversary of its release I started scouring the internet for signs of historical ephemera. I was delighted and promptly ordered this tome, eagerly awaiting its timely October 21th arrival. The book itself is designed and bound quite nicely, I am quite picky about these things. My copy arrived shrink wrapped and in generally good condition (there's a slight tear in the cover material on the back cover due to poor packing material). The interior pages are glossy, printed on nice stock paper and all 224 pages are stocked full of wonderful photos, prints of scripts, storyboards, concept art and handwritten production notes. There are also several prop replicas (see my photos) which have been included, peppered along throughout the book. As other reviewers have mentioned, the prop replicas are a very, very cool addition to the book in itself; however, the method in which they are affixed to the pages was very irritating. In some cases, a thick peel-able backing glue was used which left a round "oil stain" on either the book page, the prop or both. In other cases, a more treacherous and near-impossible to remove tape was used which caused some tearing/blemishing of the book page, the prop or both. I ended removing all of the props and storing them in an 8 x 10 envelope for safekeeping. Here is a list of all the included prop replicas: - Save the Clock Tower Flyer (with Jennifer's number on the back) - Doc's hand drawn Flux Capacitor schematic - Marty's pink tardy slip (reason for being late: slacker) - Marty and sibling color photo (holographic: holding it at an angle makes Marty's brother and sister disappear!) - "Do Not Open Until 1985" (The letter that could have potentially disrupted the space-time continuum) - Lorraine and George's Enchantment Under the Sea Dance photo - Jaws 19 Movie Poster (Directed by Max Spielberg) - Receipt from 2015 for the purchase of the antique Sports Amanac - Western Union letter from Doc c. 1885 - A "Biff" dollar bill from the alternate 1985 - "A Match Made in Space" by George McFly dust jacket cover - Portrait of Doc and Marty in front of the future clock tower clock c. 1885 The content/writing of the book is just marvelous and will be an absolute thrill for even casual fans (if they even exist). I have been enjoying reading it all day and have been driving my friends and family bonkers popping up with new trivia about the series every 5 minutes. All three movies are covered, and attention is given to the Universal Studios ride (with its accompanying mini-movie) and the animated television series. All-in-all this is a real treat and I'm delighted to add it to my BTTF collection. My tremendous appreciation and gratitude for everyone involved in bringing this project to the fans. Highly recommended!

I will try my best to articulate how overwhelmingly pleased I am. This is my first amazon review so...here we go! I'm almost unable to fully express how happy I am with this book for it is in essence, perfect. I've been a fan of BTTF for at least 10 years and to put it simply the BTTF trilogy is one of my favorite film trilogies of all time. Thus with the advent of the 21st I knew I had to order it (granted I ordered it on the 23rd...but I digress.) It arrived today and as I already mentioned above, it's perfect. The amazon price is unbeatable, and I would've gladly paid the full 50 dollars because it's totally worth it. The prop replicas that come with the book are incredible, the artwork/other images are stunning, I just spent the last 45 minutes or so fawning over all the images, so I haven't really had a chance to actually "read" the book all the way through yet, but what I have read so far has been stellar. All in all I'm extremely satisfied. I can't wait to show this book to my dad since he's the one who introduced me to the series way back in 2005! I'm sure he's going to be just as enamored with it as I am. On another note, the book was packaged just right and came undamaged. I had an incident with Barnes and Noble a couple years ago where a nice hardcover I'd been drooling over arrived with a big crease down the middle of the spine. However, Amazon did not disappoint! Honestly I can't say enough good things about this book, if you're a new, "casual" or seasoned fan you really owe it to yourself to get a copy. It is an absolute gem of a book and I'm proud to have it in my collection. If you're looking to introduce even more BTTF literature into your life I recommend checking out IDWs BTTF comic Back to the Future #1 (of 4) as well as Ryan North's hilarious page by page review of the first movie novelization B^F: The Novelization Of The Feature Film Marty: Where are we? When are we? Doc: We're descending toward Hill Valley, California, at 4:29 pm, on Wednesday, October 21st, 2015. Marty: 2015? You mean we're in the future? Jennifer: Future? Marty, what do you mean? How can we be in the future? Marty: Uh, Jennifer, um, I don't know how to tell you this, but I... you're in a time machine. Jennifer: And this is the year '2015'? Doc: October 21st, 2015.

I am a HUGE BTTF fan. By 'huge' I mean that my 1991 counterpart (9-year-old me) blew out the power to the left side of the house while trying to make a flux capacitor out of parts I salvaged from an old tv, a lamp, and a rotary phone (it's a long story). When I first saw this book, I assumed it was just a large picture book cashing in on BTTF Day. I was wrong. It's actually a very thorough chronicle of how the film went from concept to screen. The author details everything in weekly increments based on the original production schedule of the the three films. It's the "official" story, so everything is accompanied by interviews from the cast, crew, director, and studio execs. There are a ton of behind the scenes pictures, storyboards, and concept art. It's essentially the print version of an amazing behind-the-scenes documentary. An unexpected bonus, there are a lot of pieces of removable memorabilia lightly glued to the pages. For example, there is a copy of the letter that Doc sent to Marty from 1885. I won't spoil the rest, but as a person who grew up watching the movies, it was really cool to have a physical copy of the stuff I used to pretend I had. It took me about a week to read the whole thing, between work and my daily life. It's definitely worth the money.

This book is amazing. All big fans of the trilogy will find a LOT to enjoy in this gorgeous book. Very well done in every way. I was put off, at first, by "Visual History" for I wasn't interested in a picture book. But it's so much more. It's written with the hardcore fans in mind and provides a ton of great information. Yes, a lot of details will have been learned from the extras to the dvd's/blu-ray's, but anyone telling you there is nothing new in this book is full of it. The book takes you week by week through the creation of the movies. You learn about the sequence of how the films were shot and the debates.. They walk you through early drafts and you see what could have been and who may have had these iconic roles. The great trilogy was done good by this book. All fans need it.

I have read, watched, and consumed just about anything and everything that's ever been produced about Back to the Future. The material is rarely new to me when BTTF history or "new" behind-the-scenes content has been released over recent years. However, I am thrilled to say there are all kinds of fascinating stories, visuals, and perspectives in this volume that I had never come across - I would say more than half of content!! Truly captivating read for any avid fan and very well-written. Lots of cool inserts and memorabilia from the films (although I agree that these inserts could have been attached in a more reader- and book-friendly way than sticky tack). Regardless, it's a fantastic edition.

THIS BOOK IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING! ANY BACK TO THE FUTURE FANS WILL LOVE THIS BOOK ! I LOVE ALL THE LITTLE "PROPS" THAT IT COMES WITH AND IT COMES WITH SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOVIE AND THE ACTORS.... IT IS JUST AMAZING AND YOU SHOULD BUY THIS BOOK FOR YOUR BACK TO THE FUTURE COLLECTION! MY FAVORITE THING IS THE DON'T OPEN UNTIL 1985 LETTER FROM MARTY AND THE DISSAPEARING PHOTO AND THE PHOTO OF DOC AND MARTY FROM PART 3 OF BACK TO THE FUTURE..... AND THE REST IT IS JUST A NEED BOOK AND I LOVE HOW MICHAEL J. FOX WROTE THE FORWARD TO THE BOOK . I LOVE SEEING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT POSTER DESIGNS THAT WENT INTO MAKING THE OFFICAL POSTER. AND JUST ALL OF THE BEHIND THE SCENE STUFF AND ALSO SCRIPTS ETC. THIS IS A MUST BUY!