William Shakespeares' Richard III, by Ian McKellen (Doubleday, £8.99 in UK)

"Shakespeare," writes Ian McKellen in his introduction to this classify produced screenplay, "took blank verse and ran with it." In this film determined to make the Bard more accessible to a general cinema audience, McKellen did much the same. The end result will be opening in the country's cinemas shortly this book is a loving chronicle of a work in progress, generously endowed with black and white stills, McKellen's insightful commentary on the text and nuggets of information which will doubtless be fossilised in due course into movie trivia of the future. Thus the watch which Richard sports on his right wrist it's an antique Rolex, hired specially for occasion and worth a cool £5,000.