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MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe [Hardcover]

Lois Banner , Mark Anderson
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 1, 2011

Marilyn Monroe is our supreme icon of glamour, vulnerability, personal magnetism, and the American dream, and her legend continues to grow four decades after her death. MM—Personal is a new look behind the veil of that legend, reproducing the most fascinating relics from her private archive—once thought to have been lost, and never before revealed to the public—to clarify, qualify, or reverse many common conceptions about the “blond bombshell.” 

Selected from more than 10,000 largely unseen and heretofore unpublished items from Marilyn’s own file cabinets, these documents, snapshots, letters, memorabilia, and ephemera are joined by the first account of Monroe’s life since Gloria Steinem’s Marilyn to be written by a feminist historian, revealing shades of her genius that have never before been fully understood. 


Praise for MM - Personal:

"MM-Personal offers a fascinating glimpse into an impossibly famous celebrity going about the business of living."
 --Wall Street Journal 

"MM-Personal
is filled with wonderful photographs . . . most accessible." 
-
Larry McMurtry for the New York Review of Books

"The book, a luscious glossy thing, is studded with photos, many of them Monroe's personal items-including artwork she purchased just before her death. . . . the overall vibe of the book is wrenching, because it clarifies Monroe's humanity, her working life, her normal day-to-day existence."
 - Liz Smith

"With each turn of the page comes a new surprise. You don't have to be an MM fanatic to get lost in this book." 
-Leonard Maltin



Frequently Bought Together

MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe + My Story + Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis
Price for all three: $67.14

Buy the selected items together
  • My Story $14.29
  • Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis $27.41


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lois Banner is professor of history and gender studies at USC. She is the author of numerous biographies and studies of women, including the classic American BeautyMark Anderson is an internationally known editorial and commercial photographer. He has contributed to domestic and international editions of Vanity Fair, Elle, Esquire, and Vogue.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Abrams (March 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0810995875
  • ISBN-13: 978-0810995871
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.2 x 11 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

I really enjoyed the way this book was layed out via pieces of paper throughout Marilyn's life. Frank Ferruccio  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Lois Banner had done a wonderful job. Royt  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
I give the book 5 big stars, packaging, 1 star. PaintLady  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars More insight into Marilyn's life February 18, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is certainly one of the most unique books on Marilyn in many years. It is akin to the Christie auction catalog and Clark Kidder's books on her cover appearances. Recently another book was published that contained several replicas of documents coming from Marilyn's life but this book by Lois Banner blows all others out of the water. I don't have the energy to make an actual count but in this book's 336 pages there are photos of documents that span her life and career, not to mention a great many new and unseen photos. This book will remain the pinnacle of Marilyn Memorabilia for many years. I can't imagine what could possibly dethrone this marvel. Perhaps, the red diary???

There is very little narrative, but what is there is clear and precise. This is not a book that glorifies the author's knowledge of Marilyn's life, as so many books have been in the past, but one that simply presents those mundane everyday pieces of paper that anyone could relate to and see that dear Marilyn was no different than anyone else. She bought food, bought furniture, signed checks, wrote letters and tried to live her life with as little complication as possible. But the world did not let her have a simple life. We can just enjoy these slowly decomposing paper records of someone that will live forever.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic May 31, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you are a Marilyn fan, you have to get this book. Great stuff you've never seen before, a lot of personal mementos.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book February 24, 2011
By M. Wigh
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Respectful, insightful. It is clear the author did her homework and opens the book with the interesting background story of Inez Melson, Marilyn's early business manager, and the two file cabinets containing the thousands of items photographed for this book. There are surprises here (Marilyn owned two parakeets?) and a few rare unpublished photos of Marilyn among the many photos of all the documents.

The book is neither exploitive nor sensationalized. What more could you ask for? A must have for a Marilyn fan. I highly recommend this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars So-So
I was aware when I purchased the book that it was primarily just receipts and such. However, what made it difficult reading is the descriptions of the items were in small light... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Rochelle
5.0 out of 5 stars a for awesomeness .D
i would recomend this book to all of my friends i think

ever seen marilyns life so detailed its just wonderful
Published 1 month ago by balim derinoz
4.0 out of 5 stars MM- Personal: From the private archive of Marilyn Monroe
MM- Personal: From the private archive of Marilyn Monroe. If you are interested, it's worthy of purchase.Many details of the personal side of Monroe
Published 4 months ago by headacher
5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful book
i am another of the scores of marilyn monroe fans and this beautiful book is the latest in my collection. Read more
Published 5 months ago by loves cake too much
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
A must read for anyone who likes Marilyn Monroe. I got it as a gift and really like it. It has many cool photos and letters inside.
Published 14 months ago by Dean Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book!!! Bad packaging!!!
I give the book 5 big stars, packaging, 1 star. The book was inside a big box just being beat around, and the dust jacket got banged up pretty bad. Read more
Published 15 months ago by PaintLady
5.0 out of 5 stars Anything Marilyn is Worth the Purchase
I have been in love with Marilyn for over 30 years now and collect many things with her and I have to say even this book had things that i have never seen before. Read more
Published 19 months ago by NHMovieLover
3.0 out of 5 stars MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe
Nice book. All the receipts and such got a bit much. Other then that, the book was an excellent read.
Published 21 months ago by Susan
1.0 out of 5 stars Rank Rip Off
Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware - is too true with MM Personal. A mere 35 pages of nothing-new writing and over 300 pages of photos, many collages of receipts, binders, filing... Read more
Published 22 months ago by FancyNancy
5.0 out of 5 stars Of Marilyn and Memories
Historian Banner and photographer Anderson comprise a terrific team. The story of how their collaboration came about itself makes for fascinating reading. Read more
Published on May 1, 2011 by Mr. Los Angeles
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