Jay Leyda Books

Jay Leyda was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film historian, noted for his work on U.S., Soviet, and Chinese cinema. His compilation The Melville Log (1951) meticulously gathered day-to-day documents on the life of Herman Melville. His approach to film history was pioneering, bridging filmmaking craft with scholarly research. Leyda's work sought a deep understanding of cinematic history and culture through detailed archival investigation.