Marilyn Monroe: A Photographic Life
£17.90£20.90 (-14%)
Everyone knows the classic photographs of Marilyn Monroe: in the dress she wore to John F. Kennedy’s birthday, or leaning out of a balcony over the streets of New York City, or famously standing over the subway grates while shooting The Seven Year Itch. Behind the glamour, we’ve also heard the sad stories: her mother’s institutionalization, her three failed marriages, her own struggles with mental health, her surprising death that still leaves us with questions.
Marilyn Monroe: A Photographic Life delves into the life of the star—before, during, and after she became a “Blonde Bombshell.” Born Norma Jeane Mortenson (the Baker came later), she had a troubled childhood that culminated in her self-described “inferiority complex.” But all the while, she dreamed of something more.
Read the stories behind her first marriage (and why she kept it secret when she started modeling), her early roles with the studios (and the one exec who thought she didn’t have “it”), and her life as a budding actress that include humble anecdotes (at one point, she was so poor that she and a roommate shared one pair of high heels—and whoever had a date that night got to wear them).
Along with the stories are fabulous rare photographs and reproductions of frameable memorabilia, such as:
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Handwritten letters
- Certificate of conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Arthur Miller
- Screen Actors Guild membership card
- Picture of Marilyn sketched by Jane Russell
- Watercolor Marilyn painted for JFK
- Childhood photos
- Shots and ads from her earliest modeling days
- Wedding photos
- Images of those who knew her, including Groucho Marx, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and so many more
- Marilyn’s favorite image of herself, taken in 1956
Further chapters cover Marilyn’s marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, her time in England and New York, and her rise as one of Hollywood’s most sought after starlets. Through it all—the self doubts, the illnesses, the isolation—we see Marilyn triumph with the help of friends and confidantes and her own tenacious will of knowing what she wanted.
We see time and again the depths of Marilyn’s heart and her capacity to care for others. “I want to love and be loved more than anything else in the world,” she once said, and with Marilyn Monroe: A Photographic Life, you can’t help but oblige.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Chartwell Books (9 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 176 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0785843744 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0785843740 |
| Dimensions | 21.59 x 2.54 x 29.85 cm |
by Amazon Customer
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this ARC,
I love reading about Marilyn Monroe, this was a fab book with lots of pictures but also lots of information about her from her early childhood up until the end of her life.
I believe the experience of reading this book would greatly improve with a physical copy but I still enjoyed it. I’ve read a few Marilyn Monroe books and watched some films, documentary’s and i still managed to learn something new from this book and see some pictures i have never seen before!
I would highly recommend if your a Marilyn Monroe fan!
by Richard Latham
This is a book I didn’t want to finish. Indeed the final chapter was left by me for about 3 weeks.
Books about movies and film stars do not usually grip my imagination or grab my attention, demanding to be read.
I love motion pictures and have always enjoyed seeing newly released films or catching my favourite actors on the big screen at the cinema.
For me Marilyn Monroe was an enigma, one of the first of several stars who have died, under tragic circumstances. With a desire to learn more about the ‘real’ Marilyn I was drawn to this book.
I have learned a great deal in the process. Above all I have realised a lack of knowledge I have judged her image unfairly. The author has done a great deal of research and found testimony of friends and associates to build up a non-judgemental account of her life. From humble beginnings and early struggles to become an actress. Consequently it is clear that much of the demons and frailties surrounding her relationships and inability to present herself “ready” on set are understandable.
The book is worth getting for the well documented photographs which accompany it. But is the progressive and well written text that will remain with me longer.
Marilyn was a beautiful individual in her heart and towards others. For example GIs in Korea and children in general. As well as a beautiful model and actress which the many photos of her demonstrate.
But it is the parson this book has enabled me to see that means I would encourage others to read it for themselves. Certainly, I am less critical of her shortcomings and feel less comfortable in judging others based on headlines and media coverage.
I am grateful to this book on taking me on this journey. I feel it is unbiased and journalistically sound. It isn’t pulling punches or seeking to excuse but by seeking to tell the story it reveals information where the reader can decide.
by josephine jarman
So many books are written about Marilyn Monroe. All sadly focus on her death. This is a refreshing photographic gem that is about her life. Its relatively short but highly entertaining woth sunning photos alongside real life quotes raken from a variety of sources
A 5 star book a must for any bookcase. Thank you so much
by Nessakt
MARILYN MONROE
1926 — 1962
Marilyn Monroe by Jenna Glatzer is a wonderful book and packed with so much information about this a girl who was born 1st June 1926 and named Norma Jeane Mortenson no one knew her until she who became an American film star and known as a “Blonde Bombshell.” and then changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, She loved the camera, and she loved it right back.
In this beautiful book we get to know the enigmatic star through iconic and rare photos, her films she starred in, her intimate stories of who she was dating etc, and removable memorabilia etc, etc.
This book contains:
Birth and marriage certificates
Handwritten letters
Certificate of conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Arthur Miller
Screen Actors Guild membership card
Picture of Marilyn sketched by Jane Russell
Watercolour Marilyn painted for JFK
Childhood photos
Shots and ads from her earliest modeling days
Wedding photos
Images of those who knew her, including Groucho Marx, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and so many more
Marilyn’s favourite image of herself, taken in 1956
What a Brilliant book this was and a must have for any Marilyn Monroe new or old. Plus, a great Christmas or Birthday Present……
by JanitaW
The this book is obviously about sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (real name Norma Jeane Mortenson ) born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California.
Marilyn is widely considered one of the most beautiful women to ever life and this book captures that beauty in some stunning photos. But it is also more than that. There is never before seen pictures ranging from childhood, and throughout her career.
It also tells Marilyn’s story, the story behind who she is in a lovely way. Portraying her struggles in an informative yet respectful way. I learned things I did not know before which really made me feel sorry for Marilyn.
This is a must read for anyone who is interested in Marilyn and wants to see never before seen pictures or know more about her life and struggles etc.
by NickiMags
Wow this book is a definite must for Marilyn fans. It’s full of photographs and accounts of people who met her before she was famous and whilst she was a huge star.
I learnt a lot about about her early life and how she worked hard to get noticed by the film studios. How she would let photographers and gossip columnists know where she’d be and with whom! She definitely knew how to play the game!
I read The Girl by Michelle Morgan a few years ago, and knew that there was a whole lot more to Marilyn that the parts she played on the silver screen. This books also confirms that she was a very serious woman who wanted to be taken seriously, and there’s lots of anecdotes about this, and comments from people who knew and liked her at the time.
I loved discovering how she loved meeting her fans and enjoyed getting to know a little bit about them, like talking to cab drivers or meeting soldiers after a performance during the Korea War.
The author has packed a lot into this book, so it’s a must if you’re a fan, especially as there are fabulous rare photographs and reproductions of frameable memorabilia as well.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for my digital copy via the NetGalley App