In ANNA MAY WONG: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO HER FILM, STAGE, RADIO AND TELEVISION WORK authors Philip Leibfried and Chei Mi Lane deliver an authoritative work of solid research and scholarship.

It's a quaintly old-fashioned book. In layout and writing style it could've been published thirty or forty years ago. Aptly, the slightly anachronistic format and feel is a fine showcase for the authors' good old-fashioned scholarship and authority. Its focus is no doubt narrower than other the two other books devoted to Wong, but is completely successful within its stated scope and goals.

The book sketches Wong's life in admirable fashion, but lavishes most attention to her work in film and stage. The authors' research was truly exhaustive, and it would be hard to imagine the book ever being eclipsed. It will remain an important reference work for any scholar of Wong's work for many years to come.

Richly detailed and enlivened by juicy excerpts from vintage reviews, I can imagine this book inspiring hours of pleasure for any film buff or Wong fan.

Alas, the book notes that many of Wong's films are lost, but this admirable work keeps them alive in some small way through its honest affection and scrupulous scholarship.