Citizen Kane and Titanic might have an artistic and popular monopoly on greatness, but when it comes to sitting down to a strictly enjoyable film, give me The North Avenue Irregulars any day.

What you hold in your hand now is a collection of behind the scenes essays dealing with the unheralded wonders of my youth. I am nobody, but I do have a publishing company, so please excuse the one vanity project you now read. However, I think you’re going to find some really good stuff here. If you, like me are a true fan of ignored classics like The Shaggy DA and The Good Fairy, then this is going to be a book you will treasure.

I tried to collect up a group of my favorite films that have not been covered much in print before, then asked a few good writers I knew if they would be interested in writing chapters on each, with a particular emphasis on how the films were made and interviews with any cast or crew they could catch, rather than just criticism. I am pleased with this book and hope you will be too.

• Ben Ohmart