Way back at the beginning of the millenium, I pre-ordered a copy of Tim Lucas’ Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. He was still working on it, but I decided to pre-order at the seemingly very expensive price of $97, hoping that it would be worth the money. Last month, the book finally went to press after decades of work on Lucas’ part. I was glad I pre-ordered, because the price jumped to $260 for new orders.

You might think, “Good Lord, how could any book on a single director be worth that much?” Answer: when it’s an obsessively comprehensive, 1128 page, 12 pound, hardback behemoth.

My copy arrived last Thursday packaged with more care than anything I’d ever ordered before. It’s just like everyone’s been saying: it’s a beautiful book that is clearly a labor of love. It’s almost beyond words the level of detail and amount of content that’s packed in the pages. I can’t wait to dig in.

And now, a picture of the gigantic book next to my tiny daughter. The book is, in fact, 70% of my daughter’s weight.