The Art of Drew Struzan

If Drew Struzan's name doesn't immediately ring a bell with you - and it certainly didn't with me at first - don't panic. You may not know who he is but you definitely know what he does.

Struzan's photo-real portraiture has been adorning theatre walls since the 1980's. With movie poster designs for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and Back to the Future under his belt, it is hardly a wonder that Struzan's iconic style is immediately recognisable.

Thankfully, someone recognised that his work needed some considerable celebration and The Art of Drew Struzan is being published this September.

Collecting the original commission sketches in addition to multiple versions of the finished posters, The Art of Drew Struzan is a visually stunning walkthrough Drew's remarkable career.

Struzan's sense of humour pervades throughout - with an amusing backstory to go with his work on each movie.

I just couldn't stop reading this book. It's a gorgeous coffee table hardback and you'll find yourself flipping through pages again and again. I thought I was just going to skim through some of the artwork, but I found myself compulsively reading.

As the book goes on, a saddening trend becomes apparent. Studios commission Struzan to do a comp poster, then ultimately go with something Photoshopped and completely minimalistic. His proposed Pan's Labyrinth poster was particularly powerful. Yet even his Back to the Future ideas were fun, quirky and ultimately unused. If anything, this book is the story of Hollywood's inability to keep up with one man's imagination.

It also has the distinction of being the only book I have ever read with both an introduction and outroduction.

Memorabilia, Star Wars, art, cinema history; if any of the above do it for you then this is the book for you. Even if you don't buy it; definitely rock up to your local bookstore and leaf through it. Try not to scare the staff with your fangirl squeals though.

You can check out a video of Drew at this year's SDCC here. Information about the feature length documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster can be found here.

The Art of Drew Struzan is published by Titan Books on September 14th in the USA and September 24th in the UK. US folks can pre-order it on amazon.com and UK folks on amazon.co.uk