At the pinnacle of his career and now in his fourth decade as a director, Steven Spielberg is firmly established as the world's most popular film-maker. Celebrated for his mastery of spectacle and fantasy he has, more recently, proven his skill as a craftsman of compelling populist drama. He is an icon of late twentieth century popular culture.

From the thrills and zestful adventure of Jaws and the unflinching recreation of Auschwitz in Schindler's List, to the tender idealism of ET and the sombre hymn to brotherhood of Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg takes his audience on new journeys, to places often unknown to the eye but always familiar and recognisable to the heart.

With his films AI, Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can, Spielberg continues to invest powerful emotion into familiar genres. His work has become more nuanced and shaded, but its sense of optimism remains. This Pocket Essential examines every Spielberg film since Duel and includes a career overview of a singular director whose work has transcended its origin to become the cinematic vision for a generation of moviegoers.