Estee Lauder : Beyond the Magic ( An Unauhorized Biography ) [Hardcover]

Lee Israel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Israel is upstaged by Lauder, who has written her own thoroughly engaging life story in Estee (Nonfiction Forecasts, Oct. 25). Israel's data on the beauty industryand the recent trend toward emphasis on skin care through science, "charmaceuticals,"are more interesting than her snipings at the cosmetic queen. She finds fault with Lauder for failing to admit her age, for hedging about her background, ruthless social climbing and perhaps about love affairs she had while she was divorced temporarily from her husband, Joe. Israel's more serious charges accuse Lauder of anti-Semitism and concealing her Jewishness, also of not compensating her chemist uncle who invented the cream on which Lauder's privately owned company is built. There are other titillating bits as well, garnered from interviews with people who know the Lauder family. Readers will decide whether the items are facts or gossip. 75,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo. December 2
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Lauder, Estee. Estee: a success story. Random. 1985. c.223p. photogs., some color. $19.95. biog The ``unauthorized biography'' of cosmetics queen Lauder and the official version told by the lady herself do not differ markedly. Both tell essentially the same story of her rise from Depression-era kitchen chemist to chairman of the board of a multimillion dollar empire. Israel leaks no juicy secrets, but tells a slightly more objective tale, albeit with a few snide cracks here and there. It seems as if he'd like to debunk her success but can't. Lauder herself tells her story with a certain breathless ingenuousness that might not appeal to some readers, but her style, both in writing and in running her corporation, is indisputably her own, and invests her book with a life Israel's does not have. Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohio
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan (November 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025221000
• ISBN-13: 978-0025221000
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slender volume but interesting look at a Cosmetics Legend, May 4, 2003

By 

Wendy-Marie Chabot "The Bad Gwen" (Central CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Estee Lauder : Beyond the Magic ( An Unauhorized Biography ) (Hardcover)

The name Estee Lauder summons up images of wealth, privilege and beauty. From a handful of creams an empire encompassing lines such as Estee Lauder, Clinque and Prescriptives, Lauder for Men was built.

But is what is the truth behind the woman Estee Lauder? Lee Israel reveals the true Estee Lauder that the general public does not know. In combination with Lauder's own autobiography, a fascinating picture is revealed. A woman who does not acknowledge in her Jewish faith in public but is a devout follower in private. A woman who exerts an iron control to keep her company in private family hands.

For anyone who has used any Estee Lauder product, the story of the woman behind the bottles, tubes, pencils and potions is a must read.