🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About John Billheimer
He also co-founded the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, which is a statewide program of mandatory training for motorcyclists that helped lower motorcycle deaths more than seventy percent in fourteen years. He chaired the Transportation Research Board Committee on Motorcycles and Mopeds. John is married with two kids, and is a movie buff and an avid tennis player. He teaches a series of classes on “The Modern Mystery in Film and Print” and “Film Noir” as part of Continuing Studies Program at Santa Clara and Stanford Universities. The Drood Review named “The Contrary Blues” as one of the ten best mysteries of the year 1998. John’s debut novel, called “The Contrary Blues”, was released in the year 1998. His work is from the mystery genre.
All Book Series by John Billheimer
Baseball and the Blame Game: Scapegoating in the Major Leagues
Single-title series · published 2007
Hawks on Hawks
Series opener · book 1 of 34 · published 1982 Anthology · Joseph McBride
Intrepid Laughter: Preston Sturges and the Movies
Book 2 of 34 · published 1985 Anthology · Andrew Dickos
Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice
Book 3 of 34 · published 2008 Anthology · David Skal,Jessica Rains
Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel
Book 4 of 34 · published 2009 Anthology · Nick Dawson
Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder
Book 5 of 34 · published 2010 Anthology · Gene D. Phillips
Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film
Book 6 of 34 · published 2010 Anthology · Ruth Barton
Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley
Book 7 of 34 · published 2010 Multi-author collection
Jack Nicholson: The Early Years
Book 8 of 34 · published 2012 Anthology · Robert David Crane
Carl Theodor Dreyer and Ordet
Book 9 of 34 · published 2012 Anthology · Jan Wahl
My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider's Journey Through Hollywood
Book 10 of 34 · published 2012 Anthology · Robert David Crane,Tom Mankiewicz
Mae Murray: The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips
Book 11 of 34 · published 2012 Anthology · Michael G. Ankerich
John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars
Book 12 of 34 · published 2013 Anthology · Eve Golden
Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel
Book 13 of 34 · published 2013 Anthology · Christina Rice
Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master
Book 14 of 34 · published 2013 Anthology · Michael Sragow
Hitchcock's Partner in Suspense: The Life of Screenwriter Charles Bennett
Book 15 of 34 · published 2014 Anthology · Charles Henry Bennett,John Charles Bennett
Bruce Dern: A Memoir
Book 16 of 34 · published 2014 Anthology · Robert David Crane,Bruce Dern,Christopher Fryer
Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance
Book 17 of 34 · published 2014 Anthology · BrentPhillips
Dalton Trumbo: Blacklisted Hollywood Radical
Book 18 of 34 · published 2015 Anthology · Larry Ceplair,Christopher Trumbo
Hitchcock Lost & Found: The Forgotten Films
Book 19 of 34 · published 2015 Anthology · Philip French,Charles Barr,Alain Kerzoncuf
Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder
Book 20 of 34 · published 2015 Anthology · Robert David Crane
Hollywood Presents Jules Verne: The Father of Science Fiction on Screen
Book 21 of 34 · published 2015 Multi-author collection
Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story
Book 22 of 34 · published 2015 Anthology · Mollie Gregory
Hollywood Divided: The 1950 Screen Directors Guild Meeting and the Impact of the Blacklist
Book 23 of 34 · published 2016 Anthology · Kevin Brianton
Ridley Scott: A Biography
Book 24 of 34 · published 2019 Anthology · Vincent Lobrutto
Olivia de Havilland: Lady Triumphant
Book 25 of 34 · published 2019 Anthology · Victoria Amador
Conversations with Legendary Television Stars: Interviews from the First Fifty Years
Book 27 of 34 · published 2019 Anthology · Ron Miller
Film's First Family: The Untold Story of the Costellos
Book 28 of 34 · published 2019 Anthology · Terry Chester Shulman
Lewis Milestone: Life and Films
Book 29 of 34 · published 2019 Anthology · Harlow Robinson
Mean...Moody...Magnificent!
Book 30 of 34 · published 2021 Anthology · Christina Rice
Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn't Help It
Book 31 of 34 · published 2021 Anthology · Eve Golden
Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez
Book 32 of 34 · published 2023 Anthology · Eve Golden
The Herridge Style: The Life and Work of a Television Revolutionary
Book 33 of 34 · published 2025 Anthology · Robert Herridge,John Sorensen
June Mathis: The Rise and Fall of a Silent Film Visionary
Latest in the series · book 34 of 34 · published 2025 Anthology · Thomas J. Slater
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Billheimer?
He also co-founded the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, which is a statewide program of mandatory training for motorcyclists that helped lower motorcycle deaths more than seventy percent in fourteen years. He chaired the Transportation Research Board Committee on Motorcycles and Mopeds. John is married with two kids, and is a movie buff and an avid tennis player.
Which John Billheimer series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Screen Classics series, the earliest of John Billheimer's multi-book series: it opens with Hawks on Hawks (1982) and runs to 34 books across 1982–2025, ending with June Mathis: The Rise and Fall of a Silent Film Visionary (2025). John Billheimer's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has John Billheimer written?
John Billheimer has 43 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1982 and 2025. 42 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Screen Classics series with 34 books — and 1 is a standalone title, collection or anthology.
In what order should John Billheimer's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. John Billheimer's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Screen Classics (1982–2025, 34 books), Owen Allison (1998–2019, 6 books) and Lloyd Keaton Mystery (2012–2013, 2 books).
How are John Billheimer's books organised into series?
This guide splits John Billheimer's 43 books into 3 named series and 1 title that stands alone or appear only in collections: Screen Classics (34 books, 1982–2025); Owen Allison (6 books, 1998–2019); Lloyd Keaton Mystery (2 books, 2012–2013).