From the Author’s Desk: A Deep Dive into the New Edition of Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard

Author Matt Taylor receives an advance copy of the book - Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette

Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays. First, I’d like to sincerely thank Ross at The Daily Jaws for the opportunity to share details about the updated and revised edition of our book, Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard. This includes the trade edition, released this past September, and the deluxe edition, which went on sale just a few days ago.

In the Fall of 2023, Titan Books asked me if I’d consider revising the book for the film’s upcoming 50th anniversary. Although I loved the original edition, I had always hoped for the opportunity to revise it by adding photos and stories that were sent to me after the first edition was released in 2011.

While the original narrative remains intact, additional quotes and information have been incorporated, including material from my 2007–2009 interview tapes that were not included in the original book. I have thoughtfully edited these into the narrative for the revised edition.

Interior selections of the newly revised Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard.

Throughout 2024, I conducted new interviews with many of the original participants to enrich and expand upon their initial quotes and stories. Susan Murphy, a resident of Martha’s Vineyard who worked on the Jaws special effects team alongside her husband, Lynn, was instrumental in adding depth and clarity to many of the stories about the shark and the filming of the third act. Lynn passed away in 2017, but I spoke with Susan daily during the revision process. As Susan was my neighbor, we often sat together at her dining room table, sorting through photos and proofs of the pages I was working on. I frequently remarked after the release of the original edition that I could not have completed this work without her invaluable insight and support. The same was true for this revised edition. When she passed away in August of last year, it was a huge blow, not only personally, but to the project. I finished the revisions without her, but it was tough.

I'm also pleased to announce the inclusion of two highly important members of the Jaws crew who were not part of the original book: effects operative Cal Acord and Assistant Camera Operator Jim Contner. Their contributions to the revised edition have elevated the book to a whole new level. Back when I was creating the original edition, I tried many times to locate Jim, but was unable, which always bothered me because he was such an integral part of the crew. He appears prominently in most Jaws production photos, standing beside the camera, or slating a shot, and I knew he must have some great stories. When I got the green light to proceed with the revisions, I began searching for Jim once more. It was a very happy moment when, one day in the Fall of 2023, my wife stepped into my office and said, “Matt, Jim Contner’s on the phone.” And while Cal Acord’s photos were included in the original edition, his voice was not. That was because we met Cal and learned of his amazing photos toward the end of the project in 2010, after the text had been finalized. Consequently, while we were able to integrate his photos into the original 2011 design, he was only mentioned in the captions. For that reason, Cal was one of the first people I called and interviewed when the revisions began. I’d like to offer a big thank you, as well, to Joe Alves and Richie Helmer for all of the time and assistance they lent me throughout the revisionary process, and to Wendy Benchley for contributing such a great afterword. Many thanks, too, to Greg Nicotero for hooking me up with illustrator Michael Broom, who rendered an amazing schematic of the sea sled shark. Greg, Mike, and I went back and forth numerous times throughout the winter of 2024, deliberating the best angle to illustrate the shark. I wish I could have included ALL of the versions Mike drew, because his sketches are so great to look at.

New photos came from Jennifer Parkinson, an island woman who worked on the third act with her husband, Jon. Jennifer took the amazing photo that you see on the cover of the new trade edition, as well as other great images we’ve added throughout the book. Matthew Dodds–-who worked as a boat handler during the shooting of the third act––sent me some amazing photos of the shark smashing through the mock cabin of the Orca. We’ve also added images taken by a photojournalist, Peter Vandermark, who was on the set of Jaws twice during the production, on assignment for The Cape Cod News. In early 2024, I saw an old, yellowed clipping from the article Peter shot for, which included several of his photos that I had never seen. He was credited beneath the photos, and so I looked him up. Not only did Peter get right back to me, but he announced that he still had his Jaws negatives, many of which had never even been developed. Amazingly, when Peter and I had prints made from his negatives, he was seeing many of the images for the first time, including shots he took of the crew building the Orca at Norton & Easterbook’s Boatshed, and from his day at sea photographing the filming of the barrel chase sequence.

Author Matt Taylor and Jaws set carpenter Eric Ropke remove the remains of "Charlie's dock" from the Martha's Vineyard beach where the scene was shot.

In terms of design, this new edition shifts away from the previous 'scrapbook' aesthetic, while still maintaining highly visual and creatively assembled pages. One of my primary creative objectives this time was to create more distinction between the text and photos, and to incorporate additional white space for a slightly cleaner look. This process added about twenty pages to the overall length of the book, but I think it was worth it. We can now truly say, “You’re gonna need a bigger coffee table.”

Full circle: for the book's limited edition, Jaws set carpenter Eric Ropke manufactures a piece of the dock that he built for the film in 1974.

For the graphic design, I worked closely with a designer named Paul Prizer. Paul and I collaborated daily for just over a year, beginning around Christmas of 2023, and ending this past February. He’s located in a different state, so we designed the pages together via Zoom. He’d share his screen with me, and we’d start moving photos and text around until we got the right look. It was a TON of work, and I really don’t know how we managed to pull it off in just a little over a year, but in the end, it all came together and looks great. Paul now has two major connections to the making of this movie, because his grandfather owned the property where the holiday roast scene was shot. Speaking of which...our new, limited-edition version of the book (now on sale through Titan Books and Forbidden Planet) is packaged with a piece of the remains of the actual dock, which I salvaged from the beach where the scene was shot on Martha’s Vineyard.

Co-publisher Carrie Fyler organizes pieces of the dock for the book

Our original, 2011 special edition was packaged with a piece of Orca II, which everyone seemed to really like, so once we knew we’d be revising the book for the 50th, we began putting our heads together to figure out what we could do for this new, limited edition. My first thought was to go over to Lynn and Susan Murphy’s beach, on Martha’s Vineyard, where most of the mechanical shark gear was ditched after shooting wrapped, and dig around for pieces of the pneumatic hoses that controlled the shark. I thought we could create a little companion book about how the shark operated, and include pieces of the actual hoses that connected the rig to the control barge. As it turned out, the hoses are buried too deeply in the sand. Finding and retrieving them would have been a nightmare. So I decided to apply the same idea to the breakaway dock from the Holiday Roast scene.

Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard: Revised & Updated Edition (trade cover)

The dock was built for the movie by a crew of local carpenters, including Eric Ropke, and portions of it are still there, jutting up from the sand, and visible at low tide. In December, 2023, with permission from the property’s current owner, Eric and I went to the beach where the scene was shot and began digging out one of the remaining pilings. Eric then took the wood back to his home and began the tedious process of cutting it into 500 little pieces to be packaged with the book. It was the ultimate full-circle experience for Eric, who also constructed the breakaway transoms used on Orca II, for the shot when the shark slams down onto the boat.

Limited Edition gallery

Each limited-edition book comes with a piece of the breakaway dock, manufactured by Eric and me, as well as a booklet about the making of the holiday roast scene. The deluxe edition has a different cover than the trade edition, but the interiors are the same.

I hope everyone enjoys the book and its new presentation. It was a tremendous undertaking, but ultimately, I think, worthwhile. Most importantly, Jaws enthusiasts can now explore the collection of exciting, previously uncovered stories and images discovered since the original edition’s release.

Matt Taylor November, 2025

Learn more about Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard: Revised & Updated Limited Edition

Learn more about Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard: Revised & Updated Trade Edition