For the JAWS fan who can't get enough of the movie and all of it's wonderful backstories, this book only adds to the legend of JAWS, giving us the non-Hollywood slant and keeping the stories on a more personal and local level. I must admit many of it's stories and reports didn't interest me much when I first received my copy back in the summer of 1975; the cool photos throughout the book of the mechanical sharks in dry-dock and other peculiar positions capturing more of my attention then the actual text. But on the many rereadings over the last several years, Blake's friendly and frank writings help the reader to see a side that rarely gets covered during the filming of a blockbuster such as JAWS.

The fast and furious name dropping throughout the book means a bunch more to me as I've dug further into JAWS lore these past several years. Details surrounding the many local islanders who played important roles in production, and those lucky enough to garner face time on the big screen amid union squabbles, are plenty and give the reader a unique look back at the New England Island during the summer of '75, complete with a dash here of gossip and a drop there of humor. And what JAWS fan doesn't get a kick when reading little surprises such as: "The writers weren't very pleased with Lorraine (Gary) for some reason and kept writing her out of the script little by little so that each day there was that much less of her." Or learning of shots that were scheduled such as the uppity rich woman who has her butler check the water temperature before handing her into it during the Fourth of July beach scene. And we're told that during the filming of that same beach scene, as the panic begins, a male swimmer gets his finger caught on a woman's bikini top which was rigged to come off, confirming what I've always said; "If your going to get eaten by a shark it's much better to do it with a smile on your face!".

There's also the fun visual descriptions planted throughout the book; one of Orca II as being "...this strange bottomless craft, normal on top and a jungle gym beneath." And a direct and honest observation of Steven Spielberg and his intense concentration on capturing a shot. So much so "...that the mechanics of the scene never entered his head...", leaving some of the fx guys on the set, uncomfortable.

Also, this book is an invaluable (although not complete) source for a JAWS production timeline as Blake's writings and musings chronologically list many of the specific scenes and at what point they were shot during the hectic spring and summer schedule.

The book was reprinted in it's original, larger format in 2005 by the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard. Unfortunately, someone forgot to reedit the book before printing and so we again get to read on a couple of occasions how Carol (and not Carl) Gottlieb was somehow involved in this whole JAWS thing. And the wonderful photos taken by Ms. Blake, which still hold up pretty well in my thirty year old, yellowed, spine-broken paperback copy, unfortunately look to have been reproduced from another 30 year old copy and although presented bigger in the new larger format, the muddy and plugged-up screen dots render the pics useless and unenjoyable.

If you love JAWS and beam and smile while watching the many documentaries that have been produced about the film then this book is for you. Your JAWS bank of information is incomplete without Edith Blake's on-the-spot recording of this classic movie's history.

An excellent supplement to the previously produced 20th Anniversary laser disc documentary though this one takes JAWS lore a step further by including even more great original interviews of the cast and crew including bits and bites from lesser known JAWS contributors such as: Production Manager Jim Fargo, Sound Editor Jim Troutman, Casting Assistant Janice Hull, Production Assistant Ric Fields and Camera Operator Michael Chapman.

Most of the major players are here and all interviews are original except for the Steven Spielberg and John Williams spots which are both pulled from the previously mentioned 20th Anniversary doc. Sadly, Roy Scheider is entirely absent from the production.

Now some of these cast and crew musings may be a bit old hat as we get the same old answers to the same old questions but it's still one more blast to the past and a super effort by the doc's creators in tracking down the large assortment of players to reminisce about JAWS all over again.

I must mention the amateur and corny computer graphics filtered within the entire production that look like they were produced on a Commodore 64. The terror that JAWS evoked lo those many years ago seems to have been lost on the art department as we get an interview backdrop of a shark that looks like it was lifted from the Sgt. Peppers movie set complete with acid drop for all.

But the graphics become just that, backdrop, as we hear more wonderful cast and crew reflecting on the enigma that was Robert Shaw, more Dreyfuss on-location "radio talk", Joe Alves dropping the funny and very un-pc word "midget" three times and shots of Lynn Murphy's depressing, backyard treasure trove of decaying JAWS props.

I'm not sure if this documentary was ever officially released on dvd so you may have to search the web in locating a televised copy but it is a "must see" for any true JAWS fan and remains a gem (albeit the snowy picture quality) in my own JAWS dvd library.