First published in 1953, the original English version of the book was reprinted 13 times without a word being changed and in translation it has become the standard work on the subject in the Spanish Czech, Polish and Russian languages.

In 1968 the original text was reprinted as it stood, as it was felt that any attempt to revise or reinterpret it could only blur its spirit. the second edition has now also reprinted 13 times. On publication the film director Anthony Asquith said `this book is an absolute must not only for film technicians but for every intelligent filmgoer' and more recently i has been said that `it is probably the most successful film textbook in English, and has had a great influence on the technique of the cinema.' By
reisuing this book, unchanged apart from the new cover and slightly larger format, we hope that a new generation of aspiring film editors will continue to derive much pleasure from this classic text and, moreover, it will treble their enjoyment of every visit to the cinema.' Film director, Anthony Asquith `All who are creatively and written and compiled by Karl Reisz, with the help of some of the finest brains in British film production must become a standard work.' Film producer,
Michael Balcon.

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This book is more than a conventional textbook. It bases its arguments on practical examples - excerpts from famous films analyzed by, or with the help of, the makers; it avoids hard-and-fast rules but states the problems as they arise in practice and proceeds from there.