Documentary Now! comes to the coffee table in exclusive trailer for new book

McSweeney's and Broadway Video are rolling out a "revised and expanded" edition of a book celebrating the series.

By Drew Gillis  |  April 13, 2026 | 4:37pm
Images courtesy of McSweeney's and Broadway Video
Books News Documentary Now!
Documentary Now! comes to the coffee table in exclusive trailer for new book

Documentary Now! has been informing and entertaining us for anywhere from four to 61 seasons. Now, McSweeney’s Publishing and Broadway Video are gearing up to debut the book for the first time. Documentary Now! (Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded) is a 600-page book due out next month, and McSweeney’s shared an exclusive clip with a look inside, which The A.V. Club can exclusively debut this afternoon.


The description of the book from McSweeney’s reads: 

In this new fully revised and expanded edition of Documentary Now!’s seminal 1975 text, the curators behind the beloved long-running Documentary Now! program invite us to celebrate the craft, legacy, and minutiae of some of the most brilliant works of nonfiction ever put to celluloid. This remarkable book presents unique access to stills, posters, scores, and archival materials from some of the most celebrated documentaries in film history; alongside essays from some of the greatest cultural luminaries of the last fifty years, including two new introductions by series host Helen Mirren and critic Matt Zoller Seitz, and the classic introduction by original host Burt Lancaster.

Documentary Now! (Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded) officially goes on sale on May 19 and is available for pre-order now. You can check out some photos from the book that director Morgan Neville calls “the documentary Bible” below.

 
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