Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Ackroyd

Alfred Hitchcock was a strange child. Fat, lonely, burning with fear and ambition, his childhood was an isolated one, scented with fish from his father's shop. Afraid to leave his bedroom, he would plan great voyages across Europe using railway timetables. So how did this timid figure become one of the most respected film directors of the twentieth century. 

As an adult, Hitch rigorously controlled his public image. In this quick-witted portrait, Ackroyd reveals something more: a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashes a once-used tea cup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life. Alfred Hitchcock wrests the director's chair back from the master of control. 

A book by author Peter Ackroyd.