... sometimes we write them too!

NYPL is proud to announce a new book written by a Library staff member on the subject of film noir, just in time for the latest exhibition at the Library for the Performing Arts, Out of the shadows: The Fashion of Film Noir. 

Imogen Sara Smith, a cataloger and coordinator for the Speaking of Dancing Oral History Project in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, recently published her second book, In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City. Published by McFarland & Co. in August 2011, the book explores the noir genre from a new angle by focusing on films with non-urban settings, examining how film noir reflected changes in the physical and social landscapes of postwar America. The book isn't yet in the Library's Catalog, but it's on order and we look forward to getting our copies soon! Find it now with WorldCat.

While researching and writing the book, Smith did extensive research at the Library for the Performing Arts and was assisted with finding rare film prints and photographs by the Film Noir Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and screening films and promoting the study and appreciation of film noir.

When she's not busy with her work at the Library, Smith is a freelance writer and film scholar. She published her first book, Buster Keaton: the Persistence of Comedy, in 2008 while working as a video cataloger for the Dance Division. She is proud to have her books in the collection of The New York Public Library, and NYPL is proud to have her on its staff!