Edna · Purviance

The Sea Gull "A Woman of the Sea"
Published by Leading Ladies
by Linda Wada
Layout and design by Wesley Wada
with over 50 production stills from the Hill Family Collection - Lita and Ellie Hill, Edna's grand nieces (From Edna's personal photos)

First book to feature Edna Purviance and about Charlie Chaplin's lost film production.
Starring Edna Purviance and directed by Josef von Sternberg.

Early Reviews
Last fall, Leading Ladies (publishers of The Sea Gull) mailed out a few copies for review from known Chaplin and silent film experts like Kevin Brownlow to longtime Edna fan and Nevada writer David Toll. Here is a peek at the comments sent back about The Sea Gull:

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"THE SEA GULL is an important contribution to film history, and worth buying for the stills alone. The look of the film, revealed in these marvellous photographs, makes it all the more tragic that it was destroyed.

This book provides the nearest experience we will have to seeing it. Thank you for all the hard work. It is much appreciated."

Kevin Brownlow - Silent Film Historian - London, England

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"It is beautiful, informative and edifying all at once. All your hard work has resulted in a marvelous achievement. It's a great work and beautifully presented."

David W. Toll - Nevada Writer - Nevada

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I congratulate you on a very interesting and attractive book...  I really hope it may lead to the discovery of other material about
The Seagull."

Kate Guyonvarch - Association Chaplin - Paris, France

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"Let me first congratulate you on the fruition of your years of research and dedication to Chaplin's leading lady Edna Purviance.

 I'm sure that Chaplin and Edna fans alike appreciate your efforts and commitments.

This ground breaking work has greatly enriched our understanding of Edna's life and works, and uncovered much of the mystery around "A Woman of the Sea," Chaplin's lost film.

Not for your dedication and perseverance, we might never even have a glimpse of the film.

I like the design of the book in particular. It looks very clean and classy. The stills from "The Sea Gull - A Woman of the Sea" with the reconstructed story line are no doubt the brightest spots of the book.

They not only help us better understand the film but also offer us an opportunity to appreciate the photography, the set, the decoration, the costume and of course the actors.
 
So "The Sea Gull - A Woman of the Sea" is not completely lost after all.

The book makes pleasant reading, with so many eye-catching still photos and a well-balanced story of Edna's private and professional life.

I hope you'll give us a fuller account of Edna's life and career before and after "The Sea Gull - A Woman of the Sea" in future editions."

 Ted Lu - Discover Chaplin - Montreal, Canada

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Some Comments from Fans since the release

"Almost Speechless! ...the book is PHENOMENAL! ... is even
better than I imagined! I am so impressed. This is such a great contribution to Chaplin/Edna scholarship, and I applaud your hard work and dedication." - PC

"Received "The Sea Gull" book this afternoon.  What an outstanding treasure trove of outstanding pictures and research.  Thank goodness Edna fans (and Edna herself) have someone like you to create such a wonderful book!!"
- MM

"...it blew me away, it's amazing, better than I could have imagined." - GCE

"I have received The Sea Gull, and what a wonderful work it is! It is a very beautiful and important book and I enjoy it immensely." - IG

"The book is beautiful!" - DH

"Reading it was a real pleasure. It's very well conceived, with images illustrating perfectly the story. The progression towards the shooting of the film is very clear for every star involved (Edna, Charlie, Von Sternberg...). It's one of the most enjoyable books I've read about Chaplin. One point strucks me when seeing the pictures of Edna in A Woman of the Sea: She's so fresh and beautiful in these pictures!" - DD

"I received my book!!!!! It is wonderful. I enjoy to see pictures of Edna I never seen before." - FB

"I think it looks smashing. The photos are so interesting, Ellie had a treasure of images for sure. Really you guys did a wonderful job and Lita was so pleased. What you left for her certainly helped her to pass from this world knowing Edna's story would go on forever." - BT

"Great book!" - BK

"How beautiful, great book this is! Your matchless ultimate work help us to make unknown facts clear about the lost film and Edna." - SO

"I can't tell you how exquisite the Sea Gull book is!!!  We were looking through it last night, ooohing and aaahing.  The layout, the photos, the writing, the paper, the printing--everything is just perfect." - MM

"Beautiful book!" - JM

"The book arrived today, and it is absolutely fascinating. This is an important book-Leading Ladies should be very proud of themselves." - JW

"You have done a really magnificent job! The book is beautiful and the photos are so crisp & clear. I have read almost all of it already and am sure I will be re-looking and re-reading for some time to come - at least until the bio comes out!" - MC

"It looks great!" - DF

"I received the book today, very well packaged, and have just been through it. It is really wonderful to be able to see the photos, along with your reconstruction of the story. The book is very nicely designed overall, and your love of Edna shines through it all. Thanks very much for this contribution." - JB

"I have been reading the seagull book, it is beautifully produced. The photos are wonderful. What a terrific loss! the movie, that is. I hope you are greatly appreciated for bringing it to the attention of our generation." - JMc

"My wife was thrilled and I must say, the book is beautifully done. You can be very proud of this outstanding and long-overdue achievement!" - KB

"It's beautifully produced, the page quality and picture clarity are exceptionally good, the 8X10 (the front cover still) of Edna was a fine choice, and nicely protected. All of your careful personal touches - the handwritten card, especially - were thoughtful, and appreciated. The scholarship in it also was important, just the basic outline you provided in it on Edna's personal history alone was more than most of us have been able to learn about her before this." - HM
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The Sea Gull is available to order at: at ednapurviance.com.
Check Edna's .org and Edna's Place Blog for more. Released January 13th, 2008.