The entries are well written and thoughtful. ... This work is recommended for comprehensive public and academic library film collections.

American Reference Books Annual

This detailed, well-cited work presents the minutiae of Stone’s philosophies and career, particularly in relation to five themes: corporate greed, Vietnam, U.S. foreign policy and Latin America, corruption in politics and government, and the media. While it’s not unbiased—Welsh and Whaley are confessed fans of Stone ... it is concise. Its goal is to be a resource of fans and scholars alike. ... Recommended for larger public libraries and academic libraries supporting a film studies program.

Booklist

Welsh (independent scholar) and Whaley (formerly, Salisbury Univ.), who wrote all the entries in this volume, pride themselves on having created a personalized encyclopedia rather than an objective, authoritative work. They aim "to re-create the intellectual world behind [Oliver] Stone's films" by researching the "literary, cinematic, philosophical" sources that have influenced the filmmaker. The authors offer their essay on Gabriel García Márquez as a model; other examples examine Viva Zapata, James Dean, The Red Badge of Courage, and Sam Peckinpah in the context of Stone's work, e.g., Dean and Peckinpah as inspirations for Natural Born Killers. The encyclopedia also contains many brief entries for actors, photographers, and others with whom Stone has worked. The longest entries, which run several pages, are devoted to Stone's films, including the background, plot synopsis, critique, and description of the critical reception of each title. A few entries seem tenuous, e.g., Camille Paglia is included, apparently on the basis of having referenced Stone's The Doors in a review of a book about the band. The focus on cultural texts and figures that have influenced the director, a cultural icon himself, make this encyclopedia a unique addition for film studies collections. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers.

Choice Reviews

The A-Z entries are enjoyable, not a word I usually use for an encyclopedia. Going back to the print versus online encyclopedia arguments, this encyclopedia has the true 'browsing' quality which the directness of the online encyclopedia lacks, and probably, will forever lack. Not only do the A-Z entries include all of the films, producers, actors, personalities, etc., but there are entries for notable films that Stone has influenced (doubtless there are many others). ... There are numerous black and white illustrations in this book which is laid out well with a good size and clear type font. . . . there are two enjoyable appendices. . . . The book ends with a selected bibliography, and an extremely thorough index. ... I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I could talk forever about it – there are so many gems in the A-Z entries. There is a point in the introduction where the author-editors refer to themselves in writing the book as 'we have struggled through this book'. I can think of quite a number of works where it may well have been a struggle for the author, but where the reading is a struggle for the reader. This is, happily, not one of those works; it is thorough but perfectly readable and a work that strongly deserves a wide readership. I would have no hesitation in placing it among film books in a public library as well as recommending it for students of the cinema and film studies courses at university and college. It really is a great read.

Reference Reviews