Cecil B

Cecil Beaton

This is by far the best book that I stole from home when I moved out. This gem of a book records Cecil Beaton's strains, satisfactions, delights and despairs of making a major movie. Also including sketches and his own pictures of the film in progress. My Fair Lady is a brilliant musical and Pygmallion is an equally good play. His art direction in the film, especially in the ascot scene is spectacular.  This book is brilliant as it gives an insight into his design process and ideas. 

His books are hard to come by, but next year the V&A will be holding a major exhibition of his photography which I am excited about.