“I owe a debt to Ian Christie’s 2019 book for its extensive comments on the films and their historical and cultural context, and the context of Paul’s life and non-film activities. The coverage of Paul’s family, friends, business associates, and many related aspects including late Victorian education and turn-of-the-century industry and business, will be invaluable to everyone who reads this book. Also, it spurred me on to take a deeper look at Paul’s apparatus in particular, expanding my knowledge considerably. During a difficult period in December 2019, reading the book and responding to its contents provided a focus that I needed. Robert Paul and the Origins of British Cinema represents a great deal of work over many years and will be much used by students of early cinema. . . . Christie’s energetic and enthusiastic championing of Paul – culminating in exhibitions, illustrated talks, a book, graphic novel, and ongoing blog – has placed the somewhat enigmatic but important pioneer in a new spotlight, especially with the general public.”

Stephen Herbert | The Optilogue

“Robert Paul and the Origins of British Cinema will likely remain the definitive monograph on a fascinating and influential early British film pioneer. Christie provides novel insights into how British cinema in its earliest years documented historical events and lucidly traces the origins of motion picture copyright wars. This is an outstanding study that is certain to be welcomed by film scholars and to transform the study and teaching of the early years of cinema.”

Edward Dimendberg, Professor of Humanities, University of California, Irvine

“The product of years of painstaking research. . . . Christie reveals that Paul—by far the largest film producer in Britain in his era—was a significant competitor to the Lumières on the international stage. . .”

Sight & Sound

“Ian Christie has been researching Robert Paul for many years, he mentions 1994 as a starting point, and he is conscious of how little original material is available on Paul. Christie compensates for his by offering a great deal of context not only in relation to the development of the early film industry, but also in relation to the broader context of turn of the century life, in London specifically, but also internationally. He pays particular attention to the development of scientific education and the growth of electrical engineering as these were significant aspects of Paul’s life and career in addition to film. This approach brings forward the vastness of this early industry, its reliance on established inventions and places of entertainment and its truly global reach.”

Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television

“Robert Paul is written with clarity and intelligence, is easy and enjoyable to read, and mainly avoids the jargon and theorizing that still complicate some approaches to cultural history... [It] acknowledges wider contexts and encourages the crossing of disciplinary boundaries.”

Technology and Culture

“Ian Christie’s thorough and careful study of Robert W. Paul is an impressive book, the culmination of many years of research, and an excellent complement to several recent histories of early British cinema.”

Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film