Forthcoming book to explore preeminent American classic It’s A Wonderful Life—exclusive
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It’s A Wonderful Life is the definition of a timeless classic. Directed by three-time Oscar winner Frank Capra and starring the beloved leading man James Stewart—the first film for both men after serving in World War II—the movie has continued to grow in esteem since its release in 1946. When the movie’s copyright lapsed in 1974, it became a go-to holiday broadcast for television and cable companies, allowing the film to seep deeply into the American consciousness. Now, decades later, the movie and its legacy will be examined in a new book from former A.V. Club TV editor Emily St. James and Defector’s Lauren Thiesen.
The as-yet-untitled tome, which will hit shelves in Fall 2026 in conjunction with the film’s 80th anniversary, aims to be the definitive book on Capra’s masterpiece. Published by HarperCollins/Hanover Square Press, it will cover both the making of the film and the film itself. It’s A Wonderful Life is a rich text, as St. James demonstrated on The A.V. Club back in 2012:
“Does it matter where our better angels come from, if they give us the strength to stand up to tyrants or madmen? George Bailey gets that demonstrated to him first in a dark fantasy, a dream that’s not a dream. But then he gets it reflected back at him in reality, only tenfold, by friends he’s made and kept over the years just by being decent, by ignoring the outs others gave him and doing the hard work necessary of being a good man. Maybe there are no angels, and maybe it’s all self-flattery, a reverie designed to trick himself back home to face the music. But the money that pours in is real, and the friends who love him are, too.”
“It’s A Wonderful Life is one of my favorite films ever made, yes, but it’s also a rich exploration of how America sees itself, one that reveals new layers with every passing year,” says St. James, whose previous books include Back To The Island: The Complete Critical Companion To Lost and Monsters Of The Week: The Complete Critical Companion To The X-Files. “I’m so glad Lauren and I will get to excavate all this film has to offer, and I can’t wait to share our findings with readers, just in time for the movie’s 80th birthday.”
Theisen adds, “Every December I go to bat for It’s A Wonderful Life as not just our best Christmas classic, but the great American film. The kind of community it asks us to build is one that so many Americans are still fighting to create today, and no piece of popular entertainment does a better job of presenting why it’s so necessary. This is a movie that I’ve measured my life alongside, that I’ve aspired to, and that makes me cry every time. I’m so psyched for me and Emily to dive into all the nostalgia and tradition that surrounds it, and we’ll hopefully emerge with an understanding of what’s at Bedford Falls’s heart—how the triumphs and flaws of its people, real and fictional, stick with this country year after year.”
It’s A Wonderful Life won Capra the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Director and was nominated for six Academy Awards, taking home one trophy for technical achievement. The American Film Institute ranked it 20th on its list of Top 100 greatest American films of all time, and number one on its list of most inspiring films of all time. The film was included on the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Jimmy Stewart said, of all his films, it was his favorite movie he ever made.
