The declaration that 80-90% of all silent films made in the U. S., plus 50% of all U. S. films produced before 1951 (when they created safety film) are already lost forever makes the preservation of the film accessories (posters, movie stills, presbooks, etc.) as the remaining historical documents of this social media even more imperative.

BUT...what good is it to preserve these historical production stills if you can't identify them
Production Code Basics - For Movie Still Collectors is the first reference book written on how to use movie still production codes to help identify unknown movie stills and costumes.

Production codes came into use around 1912 as the United States became the major international supplier of films and movie studios were driven to increase their production due to increased demand. By 1920 production codes were used by every major film studio and became an indispensable tool utilized in almost every department. Some studios even used production codes to mark their costumes and props.

Production Code Basics - For Movie Still Collectors covers every phase from the initial creation and why they were needed, and then moves through the filming process to show the use of stills by each department. Also included is a breakdown of major studios and different variations each studio used. Explanations are included on the process outside of the major studios and cover such areas as states rights, exports, independent studios, distribution, multiple markings and much more.

Ed and Susan Poole are film accessory researchers that have been in the industry for over 35 years. This is their 15th industry related reference book. The Pooles are on a quest to make sure that film accessories such as posters, stills, and pressbooks are not lost through neglect as silent films have been.
About the Author: For over 35 years Ed and Susan Poole have been involved with documenting, recording and preserving film accessories (i.e., press books, movie stills, movie posters, general press materials, etc.). Their path has evolved from being just collectors to retail and wholesale dealers and eventually to full time researchers. Their accomplishments on a national and international level include: -Published the first reference book on movie posters, Collecting Movie Posters, released in 1997 by McFarland Publishers. -Published 15 additional reference books including: Learn About Movie Posters; Learn About International Movie Posters; Movie Still Identification Book; Legality of U.S. Movie Posters; Movie Trailer Identification Codes; National Screen Service Accessory Codes; Hollywood On The Bayou and Louisiana Film History. -In 2001, developed the first reference website on movie posters designed for novice to intermediate level collectors: LearnAboutMoviePosters.com. -In 2005, developed the first and only cross referenced research film accessory database with 100,000 images online: MoviePosterDataBase.com. -In 2009, developed the first and only advance research website for documenting press still codes, lithographer plate numbers, poster artists, censorship markings and studio logos on a national and international level. - GlobalCinemaResearch.org. -In 2011, the Pooles started developing the first state research website (for their homestate of Louisiana), HollywoodOnTheBayou.com in hopes to expand it to other states. Since that time they have written the reference book on Louisiana film history and created the first exhibit on Louisiana Film History. They are currently on a quest to expand their research through books, lectures, exhibits, film prints and websites.