An updated version of Matt Taylor’s book Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard is coming out this month, with new stories and photos from the blockbuster film.
The coffee table book was originally published in 2011 and focuses on the work Islanders did on the film. The re-release, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jaws, allowed Mr. Taylor to revisit the material, adding 30 new pages and updating the design.
“In the last 10 years, I’ve met a lot of crew members that I did not know when I first put the book together,” Mr. Taylor said. “I wanted to put this story together.”
Jim Beller, who worked to compile the photographs with Mr. Taylor for the original book also returned to help with the updated edition.
Mr. Taylor was able to find new archival material from the filming of the blockbuster movie.
— Ray Ewing
The book retains the original forward by Steven Spielberg who thanked the author and the residents of the Vineyard.
“The cataloging for their lives and experiences during my many months on the Vineyard is a welcomed reminder of both the pride and the kinship I feel toward the citizens of Martha’s Vineyard,” Mr. Spielberg wrote in 2011.
In compiling the new book, Mr. Taylor was able to spend more time with people he had interviewed before, including production designer Joe Alves. He was also able to connect with new sources, such as Jim Contner, the first assistant cameraman, and Peter Vandermark, a photojournalist who worked for the Cape Cod News and did a piece in 1974 about the filming.
According to Mr. Taylor, Mr. Vandermark had only developed a few photos for his article, but still had plenty of negatives. The two worked together to add more images to the new addition.
Mr. Taylor said the excitement leading up to the 50th anniversary made it easier for people to recall specific moments because they were already thinking about the summer of 1974.
“Since the book was released in 2011, the movie has gone on to have a resurgence in popularity. It feels like everybody’s been talking about it the last decade or so,” he said.
For Mr. Taylor, the book is more than a celebration of a film he enjoys. It is a chance to preserve the history of the Island he loves.
“I love the movie like everybody else does, but what I love even more is the history of the movie being filmed on the Island,” he said. “All these people are getting older who had never given interviews about being in the movie…. No one had ever heard their names or all these great anecdotes or pictures their parents took on set.”