Guillermo Del Toro's Book Recommendations

The Werewolf of Paris

by Guy Endore

"BEST Gothic romance Werewolf on film- and the book by Guy Endore is amazing (what a dream would be to make it- but alas, an impossible one) and bizarre."

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley

"Book of the day: FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley. My favorite book of all time. An emotional autobiography."

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mary!! That book you wrote so truly as a teenager, has been THE most important in my life- (sculpture by Mike Hill, at Bleak House)"

The Book of Three

by Lloyd Alexander

"Book: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. The Chronicles of Prydain is a masterful book series full of magic and chills (Annuvin). Try it!"

Boy's Life

by Robert McCammon

"R McCammon suggested books: Boy's Lfe, Swan Song, Blue World, They Thirst, Mine, The Wolf's Hour. And many short stories."

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

by David Simon

"Book: Homicide. A year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. Perhaps one of the top True Crime books of all time. Brisk, "unputdownable"."

Gulliver's Travels

by Jonathan Swift

"Book: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. A profound book: satyrical, moving and magical. Every adventure illuminating the human condition"

The Initiatory Path in Fairy Tales: The Alchemical Secrets of Mother Goose

by Bernard Roger

"Book: The Initiatory Path in Fairy Tales: The Alchemical Secrets of Mother Goose by Bernard Roger A truly phenomenal book. A favorite!"

Fever Dream

by George R.R. Martin

"BOOK OF THE DAY: FEVER DREAM by George R.R. Martin. Epic Vampire book. Unlike anything you've read before. psst- SAND KINGS is also great!!"

The Incredible Shrinking Man

by Richard Matheson

"Book: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN by Richard Matheson. An existential, soul-affirming sci-fi adventure of the highest caliber. A classic."

Hitchcock/Truffaut

by Francois Truffaut

"Book of the Day: HITCHCOCK: A DEFINITIVE STUDY OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK by Francois Truffaut. The best film book you'll ever read."

L'Homme qui rit

by Victor Hugo

"Book: L'Homme qui rit, The Man Who Laughs (or By Order of the King) by Victor Hugo. Poignant, profound and tragic. One of my top ten."

Bakakai

by Witold Gombrowicz

"Book: Bakakai by Witold Gombrowicz. Strange- often disquieting- tales of human nature. Absurdist, fantastic and always memorable."

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

by George V. Higgins

"With perfect- PERFECT dialogue straight from Higgins book. And Peter Boyle as a snake in the grass… there- now that’s it, Larry!"

The Vampire, his Kith and Kin

by Montague Summers

"Book: The Vampire, his Kit and Kin by Montague Summers. One of the most engrossing books ever written on vampiric anthropology. Fundamental"