Required Reading: "King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon" by Ray Morton

Any fan of Kong and its offspring have to read this book!

This is a fantastic, thoroughly researched book about the making of the original Kong, its sequel, King vs. Godzilla, its sequel, the 1976 remake, its sequel, and finally the Peter Jackson remake. It's also loaded with chapters on Kong's bastard offspring (including the legendary Mighty Joe Young) and failed chapters in the Kong saga. Anybody who is looking for a primer on the fascinating world of filmmaking, including the how's and why's of remakes and sequels, has to read this book. It is basically a coffee-table book, but it is super dense with text. Plus, you can it for next-to-nothing on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/King-Kong-History-Jackson-Applause/dp/1557836698/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288980465&sr=8-3

Just a heads-up; this may also be important for anybody interested in following I Heart Sequels. I have a soft spot for KING KONG LIVES!