First published in 1928, this classic by pulp fiction writer William Wallace Cook is endlessly entertaining – and may actually have some practical value. Alfred Hitchcock reportedly used Plotto to streamline plotting for his first film. There are thousands of plot formulas available within these pages. The book is clearly a product of its time; racist and sexist plot elements have not been edited out for this reprint. And of course the plots are formulaic. But their point is to help you formulate a structure and outline. Toward that end, they’re very instructive.
