Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1. DAPHNE DU MAURIER'S THE BIRDS -- Daphne du Maurier -- Inspiration for The Birds -- First Publication of The Birds -- The Master Calls -- The Real-Life Bird Invasions -- Reprint of The Birds -- 2. WRITING THE BIRDS -- Evan Arrives in LA -- Moving the Family to LA -- The Bel Air Fire -- Writing the Song -- 1962 and the Cuban Missile Crisis -- Hitchcock Sends the Script to Other Writers -- The Ending -- 3. THE CAST AND CREW -- Introducing 'Tippi' Hedren -- Rod Taylor -- Jessica Tandy -- Suzanne Pleshette -- Veronica Cartwright -- Robert Boyle - the Art Designer -- Robert Burks - the DP -- James H Brown - the AD -- Harold Michelson - the Production Illustrator -- Albert Whitlock - the Matte Artist -- Ray Berwick - the Bird Trainer -- Virginia Darcy - the Hairstylist -- Edith Head - the Costume Designer -- 4. PRE-PRODUCTION -- Bodega Bay -- The School House -- The Tides Restaurant -- Finding the Brenner House -- Valley Ford Farm -- Photographic Realism -- Set Decoration -- Costumes -- Matte Paintings -- Storyboards -- Filming the Birds -- The Mechanical Birds -- Catching the Seagulls -- Capturing the Crows -- Capturing the Sparrows -- Positive Reinforcement -- Sodium Vapour Process -- 5. ON LOCATION IN BODEGA BAY -- Filming at the Tides -- Filming the School House -- Filming the Crows on the Wall -- Filming the Children's Party -- Filming at Valley Ford Farm -- Working with the Actors on Location -- San Francisco -- 6. ON THE SOUND STAGE -- The Sparrow Attack -- The Fawcett Farm -- The Attack on the House -- The Attic Attack -- Filming the Ending -- The Sand Dune Scene -- The Phone Booth Attack -- The Pet Shop Interiors -- The Crow Attack -- First Bird Attack -- 7. ELECTRONIC SOUND -- Electronic Sounds & Natural Sounds.

Hitchcock's Trip to Berlin -- The Attic Attack -- 8. POSTPRODUCTION AND EDITING -- The Crow Attack -- The Attic Attack -- The Special Effects -- Rotoscoping Techniques -- The Ending: 'The Most Difficult Shot I've Ever Done' -- Deleted Scenes -- Retakes -- Titles & Credits -- Censors -- 9. THE BIRDS IS COMING! -- Marketing a Slogan -- Philippe Halsman Photographs -- Publicity campaign -- MOMA Screening, New York -- Cannes Film Festival 1963 -- Reviews of The Birds -- European Exploitation Trip -- The 1963 Oscars -- Public Reception: What Do the Birds Mean? -- AFTERWORD -- Evan Hunter -- The Actors -- Timeline of Events -- Production Credits -- Select Bibliography -- Index.