Customer Reviews

Marilyn Monroe: The Life, The Myth

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2 star:		(1)
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This fine and oversized book is a MUST for any Marilyn collector. Unfortunately there are very few copies of this book in existance. If you have been searching for this book and are not able to find it (as I did for two years) here is why: The book was published by Rizzoli in Italy and the publisher was sued for copyright infringement soon after it's release. The remaining copies were ordered off the shelves. There are NO plans to reprint the book at this time. It is an excellent book full of foreign magazine covers and news articles which most of us would otherwise never get to see. It also includes pictures I have not seen in other books before. If you are interested in this book try searching for it as used and rare. This book is well worth two or three hundred dollars, more for a serious collector. In a few years it may be worth as much as a first edition of the Complete Last Sitting in English rather than the more common German edition. If you find a copy, buy as many as you can and please pass them on to other true fans.

"Marilyn Monroe: The Life, The Myth" is the kind of book that fans of Ms. Monroe love. It is filled with wonderful photographs, some unique and rare. There are numerous pictures of foreign magazine covers, as well. The biography is divided and shared by various essayists. This is a wonderful technique, for it shows how deeply Marilyn Monroe touched many lives. This is one of my favorite books on Marilyn Monroe.

I paid a fairly high price to obtain this book based on its reputation and one of the best Marilyn books out there. It's not.

I was very disappointed to see that 95% was just scans of Italian magazine covers from the 1950s. Very few pictures other than that. Really, who wants a book showing muddy scans of 50 year old magazines from Italy? The images are just not good. The last section of 20 pages or so reprints some well know Sam Shaw and Milton Greene images that are in other books. Don't waste too much money on this, unless you have to have everything about Marilyn.

The rare photos and ephemera in this book were originally lent for a 1995 exhibition on Marilyn Monroe in Rome. Rizzoli the publishers, took these images from the exhibition catalogue negatives, made others of all the items, and simply blew them up for this coffee table book illegally, without permission or compensation. It is a stupendous book simply because all these images from famous photographers, appear in the one book. The book includes vintage American and International magazine covers, paintings, movie posters, and rare memorabilia, from all over the world. They all appear in this book without permission, ignoring copyright laws. Of course because Marilyn's image is so highly copyrighted today, and a legal nightmare to gain those rights, a book like this will never be reprinted. Rizzoli was sued for 10 million, the case was settled out of court for $90,000 with each photographer receiving about $3,000 for royalties. By order of the court, all copies of the book were taken off the shelves, the book withdrawn from publication, and all remaining copies destroyed. It is a very rare book. Some escaped to the international market like mine. I think it is one book that is going to increase in value because of its uniqueness. Robert Rechter (Australia)

I got this book today and i am just over the moon about it! I have been wanting this rare book for so long and it is choke full of photos and magazine covers that i haven't seen and i am just devouring it! For any Marilyn Fan such as myself you won't be disappointed at all! A great treasure to own! so grab a drink sit back and enjoy!