The World of Shaft

<p> Mention <I>Shaft</I> and most people think of Gordon Parks' seminal 1971 film starring Richard Roundtree in a leather coat walking the streets of Manhattan to Isaac Hayes' iconic theme music. But the black private dick who inspired the blaxploitation film genre actually made his debut on the printed page as the creation of a white novelist.</p><p> Ernest Tidyman was a seasoned journalist down on his luck when he decided to try his hand at fiction. <I>Shaft</I> was the result giving Tidyman the break he was looking for. He went on to become an Academy Award winning screenwriter and respected film producer.</p><p> Based on extensive research of Tidyman's personal papers this book tells the story of <I>Shaft</I> from the perspective of his creator. The author provides new insight and analysis of the writing of the <I>Shaft</I> novels as well as the production of the films and TV series. First-ever coverage of the forgotten <I>Shaft</I> newspaper comic strip includes previously unseen artwork. Also included is <I>Shaft</I>'s recent reappearance on the printed page in both comic book and prose form.</p>