Hollywood in the 1950s and early 1960s lived the golden age of film, and the books in this volume are amongst its treasures, for they all inspired box-office sensations characterised by high drama and haunting mystery. The Master of Mystery was Alfred Hitchcock, who was making films at what critics agree was the peak of his achievement.Two movies of this era proved to be Hitchcock classics: To Catch a Thief in 1955 and Marine in 1964. The writers of these four novels had a talent for creating unforgettable characters, thus providing rich material for the famous actors who took the roles. Richard Burton came from the Shakespearean stage to Twentieth Century Fox to make his US debut as the brooding hero of My Cousin Rachel in 1952. James Dean, the charismatic star of East of Eden (1955) said:"Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to both before I'm done."