Customer Reviews

The Marilyn Encyclopedia

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before describing the book, you should know that it contains photographs of Ms. Monroe that would earn this book an R rating if it were a motion picture.

". . . [T]his book does not claim to have a monopoly on the truth of Marilyn's life." The book ". . . aims to be a work of reference and an extraordinary read." " . . . [I]t is only apt for the fans to seek out their own truths about Marilyn."

When stars are alive, fan magazines and television reporters capture endless amounts of information about the person's activities. This context for Ms. Monroe's life comes alive in easy-to-use detail in this remarkably complete volume. Think of an aspect of her life that you want to know. Look that point up alphabetically, and you will probably find it here. For example, I looked up Hugh Hefner, and found that he had published nude photographs of Ms. Monroe and was a fan of her work. To follow that thread, you can also find the photographer who made those images and who published the famous calendar. This reference includes a photograph of the photographer, with the calendar on the wall behind him. Very nicely done!

The references were even-handed in almost all cases, so those who have a point of view about that aspect of Ms. Monroe's life will see the other side. For example, there is a section on her suicide attempts that details when they occurred and the circumstances surrounding each of them.

I was impressed that the book contained details that I never thought I would know. Unless you are a real Marilyn expert, you will probably have the same reaction. For example, there is a section on the movies she considered acting in, but did not. You even get her connections to the Academy awards. She never won one, but she presented. You get a photograph of the outfit she wore that night.

As great as the detailed written references are, I enjoyed the visual references more. There are 170 color and 205 black and white photographs in the book. Many of them are very small, as befits a reference work rather than a photography book. They expose new sides of Ms. Monroe by showing her mood, body language, and clothing styles at various stages in her life. You can see the gradual shift from vibrant young woman, to carefully posed star. The book shows you movie posters, publicity stills, shooting on the set, informal scenes with co-stars, vacations, dates, and family photos. There is even a section containing photographs of the women who have acted as Ms. Monroe in television shows and movies.

If you are a Marilyn Monroe fan, I suspect that you will want to have this book and that you will treasure it for years to come.

After you finish looking up everything you can think of, I suggest you also just read each page. There are many details here that you would never think to look up.

If you just think Ms. Monroe was beautiful, you'll be pleased with the many full-page images of her.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you think about the irony of how someone who provided so much happiness for others was so unhappy herself. What can you do to help people who share her unhappiness?

Give love . . . always!

The Marilyn Encyclopedia is sure to become the standard reference work for all MM fans now and in the future. The book is a stunning compendium of people, places, and things in the life of "the divine Ms M". As well, it is richly illustrated with both black-and-white and colour photos of Marilyn and friends (and a few not so friendly people in her life). This book supercedes both "The Unabridged Marilyn: Her Life from A to Z", and "The Ultimate Marilyn". It is a handsomely produced volume, and deserves a place of pride in anyone's library. It is an absolute MUST for all fans of Our Lady, Marilyn.

This truly is an encyclopedia of Marilyn's life. If you're a Marilyn fan, you absolutely will not be disappointed in this book--it's expensive, but worth every dime. There are pictures in this book that I've never seen before, so many pictures. It will take you hours to get through all the information, & you will want to go slowly through all the pages to stop & just focus on all the beautiful pictures of her--absolutely stunning! The one main drawback is that the print is small, so those with eye problems might have a little difficulty reading it, & also, the book is large & heavy. But this book is chock-full of information about her, about her career & personal life, very thorough. I am extremely pleased with this book, & am very glad I bought it!

Been looking for a book on Marilyn like this for years. While Marilyn from A to Z is good..this is great. Best part of book is reading about her films. So much has been written about her life, but I'm really interested in the few films she made. Only 12 in which she had starring roles as opposed to other superstars who have 40 or more film roles to their credit. The one thing missing is information about missing scenes from her films. I know many scenes were deleted from Niagara, Bus Stop, There's No Biz Like Show Biz and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. WHAT were they and why were they cut? Wish those cuts could be re-stored or compiled into a video. This book would have been a 5 instead of a 4 and Super Great instead of great if this information had been included. Perhaps the author could do some more detective work and publish the information. Or maybe someone can give me a clue as to how to start my own search for this very pertinent and important documentation.

This luxe coffee table volume is the ultimate in Marilyn info - it details the iconic star from A ("Academy Awards" - the closest Marilyn ever got to an Oscar was when she presented the 1951 Best Achievement in Sound award) to Z ("Zolotow, Maurice" - the author of a 1960 Monroe biography). In between is enough information to glut the most rabid Monroe devotee - the glossy tome includes her complete body of film work, reviews, stories, quotations, gossip, medical history, cosmetic adjustments, sex life, friendships, husbands, favorite foods, Kennedy's, Clark Gable's opinion of her, her opinion of Clark Gable, the tempoerature of her bath water, and, yes, death conspiracy theories. Plus hundreds of stunning photos, ahhhhhh, what pictures!

This is a fantastic book, especially for those who already know plenty about Marilyn. I loved the colour photographs & the detailed information on everything about Marilyn. In these pages you'll find out about everything from her favourite food to her last movie! This book is full of facts about the Legend's lifestyle, friends, marriges & her career. If you think you know everything about Marilyn, you'll probably find this book a great resource!

This huge, bulky book has categories of of information about things I'd never even think of asking about Marilyn but was glad to read. The photos are gorgeous and many are hard to find elsewhere. I had to deduct a star because, for all the effort that went into this book, it obviously was never proofread and is spattered with typos. I can live with the bulk of the book (which makes it hard to read) because it allows for the big, clear photos, but not with all the mistakes. It pulls the work down a notch.

The Ultimate Marilyn: Her Life from A to Z may have been first and the source for most of this Marilyncyclopedia, but I totally prefer this one. The graphics are much better and everything seems to be so much more organized.

In "The Marilyn Encyclopedia" you learn basically EVERYTHING about Marilyn, her friends, her family, what she ate when, her favorites. . .well, everything. You don't realize that after you've closed this coffeetable book what useless information you've collected on her interesting life.

So if it's available around your area, pick it up and revel in all that information Adam Victor (and others, of course) have picked up about our Marilyn.

Unfortunately, I bought this wonderful book in Quebec City and the entire thing is in French. I can still understand most of the book and I tell ya it's an EXCELLENT source of information on Miss. Monroe. If the book were free of text, it would still be worth it for it's gorgeous pictures. Each photo is crisp and clear--there are TONS of pictures in here in this whopping 350-page book. This is the first book a Marilyn fan should purchase. Lots of info and even more photos--what are you waiting for?? Get it now!

a wonderful display of marilyn monroe facts, rumors, quotes and photos. (they're lying, there is only a few misspellings.) It is a great book if you just want to pick up and read something for a few minutes or a couple of hours. ENjoy>