Much has been written about Cannes and its Festival in its more than sixty years of existence. The international cultural event that enjoys the most media coverage after the Olympic Games, each year the Cannes Film Festival is widely commented upon throughout the world. Alongside their spontaneous reactions, some authors have delved deeply into the subject to analyse it from every angle. The result is a rich bibliography in which the stories of film stars and all manner of anecdotes sit alongside historical research and photographic collections.

- (collective), Demeures anciennes et beaux jardins, Imprimerie Zimmermann, Villeneuve-Loubet, 2005. Cet ouvrage a été réalisé par les Archives communales de Cannes. Produced by the Cannes Municipal Archives, this very well-documented research by historians draws on archive material and private collections to present knowledge and personal accounts about the city’s finest residences. The reader may visit page after page of places rich with history which continue to serve as the city’s landmarks even today. This is a reference work by which to discover the city’s architecture and find out about the men and women who had a part to play in creating its heritage.
- ERLANGER Philippe, Cannes, Xavier Richier, 1977. A look back at the history of the city, as told by the father of the Cannes Film Festival, Philippe Erlanger. The author takes us on a tour of Cannes through its rich architecture, tourism and commerce.
- CHRIST G., Une année à Cannes, imp. L. Vincent, Cannes, 2 vol., 1882.
- GROUPE D'HISTORIENS REGIONAUX (Le), Histoire de Cannes, Xavier Richer, Paris, 1977.
- KAYSER B., Cent ans d'expansion cannoise, imp. Devage, Cannes, 1954.
- LIEGEARD Stéphen, La Côte d'Azur, , first edition published in Paris in 1894, reprinted by Editions Serre, Nice, 1988.
- NAMVRINE Patricia, Cannes, histoire de la Croisette, Alandis Editions, 1999. This is an outstanding accomplishment by the young historian, which tells the story of the creation and development of one of the world’s most famous boulevards. An extract from a university thesis, the author draws on archive material to produce this precious, detailed account, which serves as a reference work.

- BILLARD Pierre, D'or et de Palmes, le Festival de Cannes, Paris, Découvertes Gallimard, 1997. A little book rich in information, giving the reader an insight into the Festival’s great moments, through the figures behind the event, anecdotes, films and previously unpublished material.
- BRUN Marcel and BRESSON Jean, Les Vingt marches aux étoiles (La Fabuleuse histoire du Festival de Cannes), Alain Lefeuvre, 1982.
- CLAUDE J.-P., Cannes, le Festival, Paris, Nathan, Sipa Press, 1997.
- COLLAR J., Cannes, el Festival cumple treinta anos,1977.
- CUMAN Nathalie, Cannes fait son cinéma, éd. Timée, 2005. Through fifty lovely stories, Nathalie Cuman delves into the private lives of the film stars, directors, films and award winners of the greatest film festival in the world. The history of the Festival is peppered with emotion and commotion, which the author draws on her knowledge of film to shed light upon. From René Clément to Quentin Tarantino, Gina Lollobrigida to Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon to Claudia Cardinale, she tells the stories of all the cinema greats.
- DELEAU Pierre-Henri, (tcollected texts and photos), Cinéma en liberté ou La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs à Cannes, éd. de La Martinière, 1993. This is the reference work devoted to the most famous of the Cannes Film Festival’s parallel sections – the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, or Directors’ Fortnight. Written by its founder, who is both a witness and narrator of events, the book tells the whole story of the Quinzaine, from its difficult beginnings to its international acclaim.
- ETHIS Emmanuel (sous la direction de), Aux marches du palais, le Festival de Cannes sous le regard des sciences sociales, La Documentation française, 2001. Taken from a university thesis, this book is the first of its kind to contemplate the Cannes Film Festival from a social science perspective. The author takes a fresh look at the event and presents the surprising results of her research.
- GORIN François, Cannes : 50 ans de jeunes talents, Casterman, 1997. Taken from a university thesis, this book is the first of its kind to contemplate the Cannes Film Festival from a social science perspective. The author takes a fresh look at the event and presents the surprising results of her research.
- HEYMAN D. et DUFREINE J.-P., Le Roman de Cannes, Paris, T.F.1 Editions, 1996.
- JACOB Gilles, (collected texts and documents), Les Visiteurs de Cannes, Paris, Hatier, 1992.
- JACQUEMELLE G., Citizen Cannes, éd. du Cerf, 1997.

- LE CLEZIO J.-M. G. (texts) and CHAZAL R. (chronicles), Les Années Cannes, 40 ans de Festival, Paris, Hatier, 1987.
- MONTILLIER Philippe, Cannes 50^e, Boussole, 1997.
- PANGON Gérard (organized by), Cannes, les années Festival, Arte Editions, Mille et une nuits, 50 vol., 1997. A collection which gives you an insight into the high points of each Cannes Film Festival. Each volume presents a portrait of the personalities who have made their mark on the Festival.
- PASCAL Michel, Cannes, cris et chuchotements, Paris, N.I.L, 1997. Journalist Michel Pascal draws together here all the anecdotes that have contributed to the legend of the Cannes Film Festival. A well-conducted study which reveals the life of stars and starlets in Cannes.
- PHILIPPE Jean-Claude, Cannes, le Festival, Paris, Nathan Sipa-Press, 1987.
- PLANEL Alomée, 40 ans de Festival, (Cannes, le Festival en fête), Londreys, 1987.
- SERVAT Henri-Jean, La Légende de Cannes, éd. Assouline, 2004.
- TEALDI Jean-François, Festival de Cannes, Stars et reporters, éd. du Ricochet, 1995.
- TOSCAN DU PLANTIER Daniel, 50 ans de Festival International Cannois, Ramsay, 1997. . This book lists all the Cannes Film Festival award winners from 1946 to 1996.
- UFERAS Gérard and BESSOU Marc, Les Coulisses du Festival : Cannes, Carlton, Flammarion, 2005. The month of May sees the quiet city of Cannes transformed as if by magic into another world, where the stars brush the tarmac and celebrities rub shoulders with their fans. From then on, everything becomes possible, just like in the movies, as showbiz finds its way everywhere: on the steps of the Palais des Festivals, in the streets, on the waves, in the clubs and, more than anywhere, in the luxury Carlton Hotel, which the Seventh Art has made its headquarters. In order to capture the spirit of the Cannes Film Festival and the essence of its frenzied atmosphere, Gérard Uféras and Marc Bessou slipped backstage in this mythical place where the top stars of the moment are to be found hanging out at the most prestigious of receptions. This is the world that is revealed as you turn the pages of the book, through the ghostly presence of the great names who still haunt certain corners, the explosive appearances of actors and actresses who made the headlines, and glamorous parties that lit up this legendary hotel. A whole host of intimate personal accounts and fleeting moments captured in print make this book a journey to the very heart of the dream world that is showbiz.

- BESSY Maurice, Le Passager du souvenir, Albin Michel, 1977.
- CANEELE Séverine, Des Pavés du Nord au Festival de Cannes, M. Laffont, 2000.
- ERLANGER Philippe, La France sans étoiles. Souvenirs de l'avant-guerre et du temps de l'Occupation, Paris, Plon, 1974.

- Cannes 98, Instantanés, Alba Graphic, 1998.
- (collective), Cannes, l'album, imprimerie Sea'Com, Cannes, 2006. Put together by the City Council’s Marketing and Public Relations Department and taking in five themes – culture, architecture, nature, fame, desires, memories – this superbly illustrated volume offers a fresh look at Cannes. The choice of detail gives the city’s rich environment, heritage, traditions and cultural life singular new value. The photographs have captions in French and English.
- LE ROY Laurent, Ces femmes qui ont fait Cannes, Privat, 2005. This work is a tribute to the women and actresses without whom La Croisette would certainly not be quite the same. It is also a tribute to the city and the cinema. Laurent Le Roy and photographic agency Sipa Press prove how, each year in mid-May, there exists a certain magic under the Mediterranean sun, which makes starlets and actresses more voluptuous than ever. Photographers and paparazzi blow them up, thereby ensuring them a place in the hall of fame for divas of the silver screen. This album of previously unpublished photographs, both old and contemporary, presents these women who vie with each other in charm and elegance to the great delight of the public.
- MANCIET Yves, Cannes, premières années du Festival, éd. Thoba's, 2004. Yves Manciet is the only living photographer to have attended the very first Cannes festivals. His recollections show a great deal of complicity with the actors of the post-war era. It should be noted that the equipment of the time meant that only set-piece photographs were possible. Naturally, some celebrities may appear somewhat stiff in these set poses, but the photographer’s eye delivers shots that are filled with nostalgia and emotion. Foreign stars and French starlets, such as Martine Carol, Nicole Courcel and Odile Versois, rub shoulders with the great names in cinema of the period: Curd Jurgens, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, Erich Von Stroheim, Yves Montand, Romy Schneider, Sophia Loren, Pablo Picasso and many others.
- MIRKINE L., Festival de Cannes, 30 ans de photographies, Contrejour, 1981.

- TOUBIANA Serge, Cannes cinéma : l'histoire du Festival de Cannes vue par Traverso, Cahiers du Cinéma, 2004. Of Cannes origin, the Traverso family has produced four generations of photographers since 1919. Photos taken by Traversos are to be found every year since 1939 when the Festival began, such as that showing Louis Lumière, the inventor of cinema, arriving at Cannes railway station. Aware of the city’s vibes and always ready to photograph the world’s newest stars of the silver screen, the Traversos, true to the profession which they handed down from father to son, finished up by compiling a priceless photographic collection on the cinema. These shots restore the unique atmosphere of the early years of the Festival, in the presence of the great names of the period. The photographs taken by this Cannes family trace the development of the city and its Festival over the decades.
- TOUBIANA Serge, Cannes cinéma : 50 ans de Festival vus par Traverso, éd. du Seuil.
- TRAVERSO Auguste, Cannes en noir et blanc, éd. L'Instantané, 2003. Traverso: a name that spans several generations of photographers. It was Auguste Traverso who, the day after the Great War was over, decided to become a photographer, founding the Maison Traverso in 1919. Auguste became a press photographer, and for a long time was the only one to record the events at Cannes on photographic plates: flower battles, early bathing in the sea, the construction of the first luxury hotels. Today, Auguste’s grandson, Gilles, carries on the work of his elders. With his name to an exhibition of photographs, the Traverso Collection, here Gilles Traverso presents a treasure trove of images, an album of recollections and visual anecdotes which trace the history of Cannes through old photographs that depict the changing face of the city.