Where can I read more about the Ambersons?
The most complete reference is Robert L. Carringer’s book The Magnificent Ambersons – A Reconstruction. This book describes the history of the making and undoing of the Ambersons. This is also the only book that has all of the dialogue from the original 131 minute version of the Ambersons, as well as various storyboards, sketches, stills from the lost footage, and the complicated details of the editing process and Welles futile attempts to influence it from South America. Even with just the script, the intense sadness of the original ending with Fanny and Eugene in the boarding house is heartbreaking. Like the laserdisc, this book is out of print but used copies can be found in many of the online used bookstores and occasionally on eBay. Another book by the same author is The Making of Citizen Kane, which has a short but detailed chapter on Ambersons. Another terrific reference is This Is Orson Welles by Orson Welles and Peter Bogdonavich. This book has a condensed version of the origi
