Book Recommendations

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Animation & 3D books available at Amazon.com

	Acting for Animators, Revised Edition : A Complete Guide to Performance Animation by Ed Hooks. The only book I know of that discusses how to apply theatrical acting techniques to animation. Great for when you're ready to take your animation to the next level.
	Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right by Jason Osipa. A unique and simplified approach to facial rigging and animation.
	Digital Lighting & Rendering - by Jeremy Birn. A thorough, non-software-specific looks at techniques for lighting, rendering and compositing. Touches on lots of other subjects including color theory, surface attributes and modeling. Full color images and great content. Highly recommended.
	The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams. This new book is an essential resource for all animators, much like Disney's "Illusion of Life". The big difference is that this one is still in print. If you want to be an animator, get this book!
	Manwatching - A Field Guide to Human Behavior by Desmond Morris. Very useful and insightful information for animators. This book is out of print but you should be able to find used copies.
	The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. The Animator's Bible. A gorgeous book which outlines both the traditional rules of animation and the history of Walt Disney Studios. An interesting, informative read, and great for coffee-tables!
	The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression by Gary Faigin. An excellent examination of human facial expression and anatomy. Very useful for animators.
	The Male and Female Figure in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge. Sequential photographic images of real humans motion - an excellent reference for animators and artists. See also his Animals in Motion.

Filmmaking books available at Amazon.com

	The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third Edition by Isaac V. Kerlow. A step-by-step look at all aspects of CG production. Includes a history of CG.
	Inspired 3D Short Film Production by Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia. A comprehensive look at creating an animated short film from start to finish.
	The Visual Story by Bruce Block. An excellent source for learning how to tell stories visually using elements such as color, line, space and shape. Block's theories apply equally well to animation, live-action, even still images. I highly recommend this book. Repeat after me: "contrast and affinity.."
	Film Directing Shot by Shot by Steven Katz. A thorough primer for anyone interested in film-making, traditional, animated or otherwise. Focuses on continuity, story-boarding, shot flow, camera techniques and visual storytelling.
	The Five C's of Cinematography by Joseph V. Mascelli. A classic look at cinematographic techniques. Very applicable to animation and digital film-making.