James Dean [Hardcover]

George Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2005

The only fully illustrated chronological biography authorized by the Dean family, James Dean is an amazing retrospective packed with images from his classic movies, family archives, and private collections. This candid portrait of one of the greatest stars of all time tells the story behind the making of an American icon, uncovering new details about the man behind the legend, with in-depth commentary from his closest friends and family, including his cousin and executor of his estate, Marcus Winslow, and his best friend and roommate, William Bast. Loaded with features that chronicle his life and times, this book is a must have for fans of the man, the movie star‹ the legend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Dean's death, this beautifully designed book features popular and previously unpublished photos of the actor, many of which were drawn from his family's collection. Though a number of the photos are classic Dean-him walking alone, ever-present cigarette dangling from his lips, or scowling at the camera-there are also several of him as a child and as an awkward, teenager who, despite some unwieldy glasses, still bore the handsome face that would make rebellion cool. Perry does an admirable job of uncovering this early history through interviews with everyone from Marcus Winslow, Dean's cousin and executor, to his drama teacher and childhood pastor in Fairmount, Indiana. This book is not so much a probing study of the man as it is an overview of his life, however, and Perry's sometimes superficial treatment of controversial aspects of Dean's history may disappoint. (When addressing the issue of the actor's widely suspected homosexuality, for example, Perry equivocates, calling Dean "a great experimenter" who "avidly and almost greedily soaked up all the experiences life could offer.") But the book's primary draw is its photos, and in this regard, it does not disappoint.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Marking the fiftieth anniversary of James Dean's death, a new book about the star who embodied the live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse ethos. Perry offers what is essentially a picture book with text, primarily devoted to Dean's film career. It includes a fine filmography and such other features as a time line, listing of stage and television appearances, and select bibliography, and because it was authorized by the actor's estate, contains many candid photos from the Dean family's private collection. Though it ventures precious little on messy topics, such as the young star's sexuality, its detailed rundown of the various romantic relationships simmering on the set of Rebel without a Cause is a definite asset. Truly wonderful illustration, more than the workmanlike prose, makes Perry's effort attractive as a cornerstone for any Dean collection. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 50 Anv edition (April 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756609348
• ISBN-13: 978-0756609344
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and informative..., April 14, 2005

By 

j. - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Dean (Hardcover)

Over the years, there have been loads of biographies written about James Dean, some of which are significantly better than others. Today, 50 years after his death, Dean remains one of the most recognizable and captivating film and cultural icons. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for Dean's seeming immortality. During his life, Dean made only three major motion pictures and yet, he defined the Post-World War II generation of reckless youths feeling somewhat misplaced, displaced, or confused.

This book, officially endorsed by the James Dean estate, is somewhat of a combination biography and coffee table book. The book contains numerous black and white and color photographs of Dean in varying stages of his life and career -- many of which have never been published before. Particularly noteworthy is the abundance of photographs of James Dean as a child and teenager. While most biographies of Dean contain mostly portraits or somewhat staged pictures, this book offers many candid shots belonging to Dean's private estate and surviving family members. Novice fans of Dean's will find plenty to entertain and inform them within the book, while Dean's more devoted fans and experts will be blown away by the beauty of both the book's photographs and their general layout. The book concentrate's heavily on Dean's counter-culture attitude (particularly in how he dressed and acted), while also delving into his romantic life and his well-publicized passion for cars and racing.

This book is a true gem and a wonderful addition to the realm of James Dean memorabilia.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Photos, A Must-Have for James Dean Fans!, April 30, 2010

By 

K. Karls (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: James Dean (Hardcover)

I've only very recently become attuned to the talent and legacy of James Dean; I have heard of him all my life, but never really "got" it until I was old enough to understand his movies (and finally saw them all at age 23). Needless to say, after viewing "East of Eden" and being moved to tears by his performance, I rushed to buy any biography I could lay my hands on, eager to learn more about this talented young man. This book by George Perry is a wonderful one; not only does it offer informative and interesting information on Dean's life and personality, from his earliest Indiana days to his eventual New York City life and all the way up to Hollywood, the book also features the best photos I've ever seen of Dean. There are intimate, large, glossy photos of James Dean clowning around with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, and other friends, and there are the more iconic photos of Dean strolling around New York City. James Dean had the looks of an angel fallen to Earth, and the beauty and personliaty that shine through some of these photos took my breath away. Of course, it's a bit difficult to see the pictures of Dean's crushed car and the scene of the accident that took his life, and even more difficult to read about the circumstances, and how it was error largely on the part of the other driver, who failed to notice Dean's oncoming car (who had the right of way), and stopped, lurched forward, stopped and then lurched forward again right into Dean's Porsche. It's horrifying. This book allowed me to learn so much more about James Dean, who was a young man who was immensely talented, deeply passionate, fun-loving and insightful; I also learned that people either loved him or hated him; he, doubtless, could be moody and difficult, but those who knew him the best such as Nick Adams, Dennis Hopper, Bill Bast, Liz Taylor, etc., loved him and cherished him not only as a talented actor, but as their friend. Fascinating Fact: you know the woman who plays Jerry Seinfeld's mom on "Senfield"? She was James Dean's first serious girlfriend in his NYC days!!! Can you believe it? Liz Sheridan dated James Dean!! You'll see her picture in this book, it's incredible, I never knew that. What a small world.

This biography allows you to form your own opinion of Jimmy Dean; I still don't know him, but I think I have an idea of him now, and that's what matters to me. The only sad aspect, is that now I have a true sense of what the world lost on September 30th, 1955, and I can't help the ache in my chest when I watch his work now; I wish he'd stayed around longer because I can honestly say, no other actor has ever touched me so deeply. Hell, I've never run out and purchased a biography on anybody before unless I had to for a book report; however, I've devoured three Dean biographies in about two weeks. What does that tell you?

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hardly definitive, but nicely packaged "Dean 101", June 17, 2005

By 

Nelson Aspen "Author/Journalist" (Los Angeles & NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James Dean (Hardcover)

This strikes me as a cranked out crowd-pleaser for Dean fans (easy targets!) from the ubiquitous DK press. The fact that it is officially sanctioned by the Dean family estate cannot go unnoticed---it is almost embarrassing in the heaps of praise it bestows on every member of the clan and is sure to point out "important" points like the facts that they were not beneficiaries of Dean's life insurance policy (I'm sure they're making out fine) and that any liability for his fatal car crash could not possibly have been his. It admits to one homosexual affair on Dean's behalf and the friendly likelihood that he may have dabbled in others, but it strongly defends the notion that James Dean was a heterosexual in the first degree. Right or wrong, there are lots of assumptions and speculations which ultimately boil down to mere commentary.

While the text tends to read like a bio written by the President of the James Dean Fan Club, the real star of the show is the artwork. A great photographic collection although there is a large picture of Dean horsing around on the set of GIANT with a young woman. The caption identifies this woman as his good pal Elizabeth Taylor and it is amazing that ANY editor, proofreader or person involved in the process of creating this book didn't notice that it is most definitely NOT Elizabeth Taylor. It is probably her stand-in. It makes the accuracy of other "facts" somewhat dubious.

It's getting a big promotional push, but I think it's overhyped and you're best off purchasing it as a bargain pre-owned price from an Amazon Marketplace merchant, rather than shelling out full price for new.