From the beginning of the sound era until the end of the 1930s, independent movie-making thrived. Many of the independent studios were headquartered in a section of Hollywood called "Poverty Row." Here the independents made movies on the cheap, usually at rented facilities where shooting was limited to only a few days. From Allied Pictures Corporation to Willis Kent Production, 55 Poverty Row Studios are given histories in this book. Some of the studios, such as Diversion Pictures and Cresent Pictures, came into existence for the sole purpose of releasing movies by established stars. Others, for example J.D. Kendis, were early exploitation filmmakers under the guise of sex education. The histories include critical commentary on the studio's output and a filmography of all titles released from 1929 through 1940.

Michael R. Pitts is also the author of Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances (1999), Western Movies (1997) and Horror Film Stars,3d ed. (2001). In addition to his long career of research and writing about the entertainment field, he has also compiled more than two dozen volumes of local history and genealogy. He resides in Chesterfield, Indiana.