Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark

An absolutely mental effort. The scope of Lucas' research is ridiculous. You won't find a more detailed, more thoroughly researched biography on any other director. Bava's growth from cinematographer to director is a filmic story on its own. It's filled to the brim with information about his films (down to the changed scenes in specific versions, the movies he worked on but wasn't credited for, the changes in different regional versions of his movies, production issues...) it is exhaustive and it is endless.

The most interesting part were the various stories about and glimpses into Bava's life. What a tremendously interesting life he's had! While reading this book, I went through Bava's entire filmography. Although I can't say I'm a big fan of his movies, I think he was a very impressive person and the impact he had on cinema cannot be understated.