Each week we ask a respected film or furniture expert to recommend a film to watch or a book to read. This week our Must Read is chosen by cineaste, designer, writer & blogger Mike Dempsey:-

‘Room to Dream’ by David Lynch & Kristine McKenna. 

The cover of ‘Room to Dream’ is just perfect and credited to David Lynch.

At almost 600 pages, printed on uncoated paper, with over 500 images using the gravure process to create a very dense black making them look very Lynchian. It is a really solid read. I loved every single page and highly recommend if Lynch is your man. 

The book is interwoven with chronologically ordered sections on the stages of Lynch’s life and work. These are In-depth, critical analyses by the journalist Kristine McKenna.  They are followed by Lynch’s own personal interpretation of McKenna’s views. Reading Lynch’s segments is akin to how I imagine it would be sitting in a room with him. If you are familiar with his homespun, apple pie innocent way of talking, it’s exactly as he writes. There’s a beautiful childlike sense of wonder and enthusiasm that just pulls you in. The book is filled with fascinating details on how this cinematic maverick thinks and works, and his rollercoaster ride to success. A little like the great François Truffaut ‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’ book of 1966.

The New York Times bestseller is available to buy now:-

Buy Room To Dream in UK >

Buy Room To Dream in USA >

David Lynch is co-creator of Twin Peaks and writer and director of groundbreaking films such as Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.

Mike Dempsey’s blog