Unseen Jaws snaps

Thirty-six years, three risible sequels, a theme-park ride and endless adaptations of that iconic tuba blast down the line, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Jaws had little left to offer. But with the tenacity of an eerily indestructible shark, Steven Spielberg’s landmark thriller is back — this time in the form of a meaty new book.

Jaws: Memories From Martha’s Vineyard is the unseen story of the classic film and a labour of love for the residents of the New England location that stood in for the selachophobic holiday resort of Amity Island.

Authors Matt Taylor and Jim Beller scoured the island for people with recollections, pictures and Super 8 film of the 1974 shoot, and they hit the jackpot. The 296-page collection features stirring anecdotes and hundreds of unseen photos — including our exclusive image of a beardless Steven Spielberg prepping star Roy Scheider ahead of the famous ‘Jaws shot’ close-up, where Chief Brody realises that the great white has struck again.

There’s also input from the cast and crew, but it’s these local tales that put a human spin on a cinematic watershed. There’s a standard paperback version (£37), but we’re most excited about the collector’s edition volume (£154). Limited to 1,000 copies, it features a DVD documentary and a fragment of the film’s Orca boat, all housed in a shiny box.

Now, where are bookshelves in the Habitat catalogue?

Jaws: Memories From Martha’s Vineyard is available now from Mvremembersjaws.com