Press Books

Pressbooks were promotional guides created by movie studios and distributed to theater owners to market their films during the golden age of cinema. Typically produced from the 1910s through the 1980s, these booklets contained detailed advertising instructions, poster and lobby card designs, newspaper ad templates, and publicity ideas tailored to each release. Far more than simple marketing tools, pressbooks offer a fascinating glimpse into how studios shaped the public image of their movies—blending graphic design, copywriting, and cultural trends of the time. Today, original pressbooks are prized by collectors and historians for their artistry, rarity, and insight into the business of film promotion, serving as tangible artifacts from cinema’s most creative promotional era.