Marilyn Monroe

Today in history - August 5th, 1962 - Marilyn Monroe is found dead.  Here are ten books celebrating her life.

Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Tavilla by Andrew Hansford - William Travilla is one of the best costume designers of all time and Marilyn Monroe his most famous client. Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla focuses on the striking dresses that Travilla designed for Marilyn, from his early work on the thriller Don't Bother to Knock and the gorgeous pink dress in which Marilyn sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" to the legendary white dress from The Seven Year Itch , which arguably contributed to the collapse of Marilyn's marriage to Joe DiMaggio. Featuring Travilla's original sketches, rare costume test shots, dress patterns, photographs of Marilyn wearing the dresses, plus exclusive and never-before-seen extracts from interviews with Travilla, this book offers a fresh insight into the golden age of Hollywood.

Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Stanley Buchthal and Bernard Comment - Marilyn's image is so universal that we can't help but believe we know all there is to know of her. Every word and gesture made headlines and garnered controversy. Her serious gifts as an actor were sometimes eclipsed by her notoriety--and by the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.
Beyond the headlines--and the too-familiar stories of heartbreak and desolation--was a woman far more curious, searching, witty, and hopeful than the one the world got to know. Now, for the first time, readers can meet the private Marilyn and understand her in a way we never have before. "Fragments "is an unprecedented collection of written artifacts--notes to herself, letters, even poems--in Marilyn's own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos.
Jotted in notebooks, typed on paper, or written on hotel letterhead, these texts reveal a woman who loved deeply and strove to perfect her craft. They show a Marilyn Monroe unsparing in her analysis of her own life, but also playful, funny, and impossibly charming. The easy grace and deceptive lightness that made her performances indelible emerge on the page, as does the simmering tragedy that made her last appearances so affecting.

The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell - There are many Marilyns: sex goddess and innocent child, crafty manipulator and dumb blonde, liberated woman and tragic loner. The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe reviews the unreliable and unverifiable--but highly significant--stories that have framed this Hollywood legend, all the while revealing the meanings behind the American myths that have made Marilyn what she is today.
In incisive and passionate prose, cultural critic Sarah Churchwell uncovers the shame, belittlement, and anxiety that we bring to the story of a woman we supposedly adore and, in the process, rescues a Marilyn Monroe who is far more complicated and credible than the one we think we know.

Marilyn in Fashion: The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe by Christopher Nickens - Fifty years after her death, Marilyn remains an incandescent movie star, legendary sex symbol, and a woman whose private life fascinates the public--but the story never before showcased is Marilyn Monroe's enduring impact on fashion.
From the pink satin "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" gown, to the pleated white dress from The Seven Year Itch to the revealing nude sheath worn to sing "Happy Birthday" to JFK, Marilyn created endless unforgettable looks. Before they were household names, she wore Ferragamo pumps, carried Gucci bags and wore the designs of Oleg Cassini, Norman Norell, Emilio Pucci and Jean Louis. In an era of Peter Pan collars, poodle skirts, and repressed sexuality, Marilyn's sexy style and ability to spot up-and-coming designers made her a fashion visionary.
Marilyn in Fashion traces the evolution of her style, from wholesome sweetness early in her career, to sex kitten looks in the '50s, to elegant sophistication in the last years of her life. The text details the designers of her ensembles, where she wore them, and their influence on fashion. Behind-the-scenes stories reveal how the star often worked closely with designers to create looks befitting the Marilyn Monroe image. Illustrated with hundreds of rare and never-before-published photos, Marilyn in Fashion fabulously traces the style evolution of the ultimate Hollywood icon.

Marilyn in Manhattan: Her Year of Joy by Elizabeth Winder - In November 1954 a young woman dressed plainly in a white oxford and dark sunglasses and a black pageboy wig boards a midnight flight from Los Angeles to New York. As the plane's engines rev she breathes a sigh of relief, lights a cigarette, and slips off her wig, revealing a tangle of fluffy blond curls. Marilyn Monroe was leaving Hollywood behind, and along with it, a failed marriage and a frustrating career. She needed a break from the scrutiny and insanity of LA. She needed Manhattan. In Manhattan, the most famous woman in the world can wander the streets unbothered and spend hours at the Met getting lost in art and afternoons buried in the stacks of the Strand. Marilyn begins to live a life of the mind in New York; she dates Arthur Miller, dances with Truman Capote, and drinks with Carson McCullers. Even though she had never lived there before, in New York, Marilyn is home. In Marilyn in Manhattan, the iconic blond bombshell is not only happy but also successful. She breaks her contract with Fox Studios to form her own production company, a groundbreaking move that makes her the highest-paid actress in history and revolutionizes the entertainment industry. A true love letter to Marilyn, and a joyous portrait of a city bursting with life and art, Marilyn in Manhattan is a beautifully written, lively look at two American treasures--New York and Marilyn Monroe--and sheds new light on one of our most enduring icons.

Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold - In 1952 Eve Arnold went on assignment to photograph Marilyn Monroe for Esquire magazine. According to Arnold's recollections, the now-legendary film actress was captivating and the photographs were a success. Their relationship, which started as one of mutual advantage, developed into a friendship and, over the course of ten years, Arnold and Marilyn met for six other photography sessions. The shortest session was two hours long and the longest spanned over a period of two months, while Monroe was shooting The Misfits. This book chronicles those photography sessions and includes a text by Arnold, which gives insight to Monroe's career and personality.

Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places, and Events by Carl. E. Rollyson - From hefty biographies and fact-based novels to photograph collections and memoirs, more books have been written about Marilyn Monroe than any other female over the past century. However, no biography--regardless how authoritative--can contain all of the facts and events of an individual's life, and Marilyn's is no exception. In Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places, and Events, Carl Rollyson provides a documentary approach to the life and legend of this singular personality. With details of her childhood, her young adult years, her ascent to superstardom, and the hour by hour moments leading to her tragic early death, this volume supplements--and, in some cases, corrects--the accounts of previous biographies. In addition to restoring what is left out in other narratives about Marilyn's life, this book also illuminates the gaps and discrepancies that still exist in our knowledge of her. Drawing on excerpts from her diaries, journals, letters, and even checks and receipts--as well as reports of others--Rollyson recreates the day-to-day world of a woman who still fascinates us more than fifty years after her death. In addition to the calendar, Rollyson also profiles important figures in Marilyn's life and includes a brief biography of the actress, providing a context for the timeline. An annotated bibliography of books and websites highlights the most reliable sources about Marilyn. With its vivid recreation of the key events in her life, Marilyn Monroe Day by Day is the perfect book for fans who can't get enough of this cultural icon.

Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed by Michelle Morgan - A comprehensive and meticulously researched treasure trove of information that brings to light the ordinary domestic details to the countless controversies of Marilyn Monroe's life. Dozens of people who knew or were related to Marilyn -- from the key players in her life (family, friends, and colleagues) to casual acquaintances -- cover Marilyn's foster childhood to her mysterious death. This is a candid, human portrait of a woman whose star has only become brighter with passing generations.

Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon by Charles Casillo - Based on new interviews and research, this groundbreaking biography explores the secret selves behind Marilyn Monroe's public façades. Marilyn Monroe. Her beauty still captivates. Her love life still fascinates. Her story still dominates popular culture. Now, drawing on years of research and dozens of new interviews, this biography cuts through decades of lies and secrets and introduces you to the Marilyn Monroe you always wanted to know: a living, breathing, complex woman, bewitching and maddening, brilliant yet flawed. Charles Casillo studies Monroe's life through the context of her times--in the days before feminism, and before there was adequate treatment for bipolar disorder, which Marilyn struggled with. Starting with her abusive childhood, this biography exposes how--in spite of her fractured psyche--Marilyn's extreme ambition inspired her to transform each celebrated love affair and each tragedy into another step in her journey towards immortality. Casillo fully explores the last two years of her life, including her involvement with both John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, and the mystery of her last day. Just a few of the revelations in [this book]: Despite reports of their bitter rivalry, Elizabeth Taylor secretly reached out and tried to help Marilyn during one of her darkest moments; the existence of Marilyn's semi-nude love scene with Clark Gable--long thought to be lost; a few nights before she died, Marilyn encountered Warren Beatty at a party and disclosed some of the reasons for her final despair; a meticulously detailed account of the events of her last day, revealing how a series of miscommunications and misjudgments contributed to her death.

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli - When Marilyn Monroe became famous in the 1950s, the world was told that her mother was either dead or simply not a part of her life. However, that was not true. In fact, her mentally ill mother was very much present in Marilyn's world and the complex family dynamic that unfolded behind the scenes is a story that has never before been told...until now. In this groundbreaking book, Taraborrelli draws complex and sympathetic portraits of the women so influential in the actress' life, including her mother, her foster mother, and her legal guardian. He also reveals, for the first time, the shocking scope of Marilyn's own mental illness, the identity of Marilyn's father and the half-brother she never knew, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedy's-Bobby, Jack, and Pat Kennedy Lawford. Explosive, revelatory, and surprisingly moving, this is the final word on the life of one of the most fascinating and elusive icons of the 20th Century.