Customer Reviews

Marilyn Monroe: A Life in Pictures

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Behind the striking cover is a book that has left me somewhat disappointed. Of course, owning over 100 books on Marilyn Monroe perhaps makes me a more difficult person to impress than the average buyer, but then again; who buys books about Marilyn...Marilyn Monroe fans I assume!

David Thomson writes a foreword that I just do not get. Is he trying to be clever? It sounds as if he has an aversion to Marilyn even after giving her credit for finally becoming an actress in the film Bus Stop. I honestly believe he does not like Marilyn in the slightest; holding it against her because of who she is personally! Thomson has a job to do though as he summarizes Monroe's life coldly & succinctly in less than 6 pages!

I realize this book is not titled "Marilyn A Glamorous Life" but still the photo selection presented here stymies me as well. While many pictures are totally unflattering to Marilyn, others are just not as powerful as a photograph in this type of book should be.

Case in point, the picture on page 148 of Marilyn making the trip to Ebbets Field in 1959; unnecessary. Pages 112 & 113 each show a different photo when Marilyn was being interviewed at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in February of 1956; the 2nd picture is far better at illustrating the scene at hand & also the more flattering of Marilyn, making it the ONE photo I would have used.

A single event in Marilyn's life more often than not is represented by a small group of pictures rather than one strong photo. Marilyn's trip to Bement, IL in 1955, 3 photos; a day in the life of Marilyn in New York, 1956, 4 photos; with Arthur Miller on the beach at Amagansett, NY, 4 photos. When covering a "life in pictures" of a famous woman who lived for 36 years in a mere 192 pages; I would think the selection process of the pictures to be used would be a little more thorough & precise so as to cover as much of that life as possible!

However, to the positive side, most photographs are presented in a very large, clean format so details are easy to see which is very much appreciated in a day of ever smaller images. I would say close to half of the pictures make very bold statements & are truly delightful to study; such as the on set photo of Marilyn (sipping from a bottle of Coke) and Jane Russell (checking her makeup in a hand held mirror) in their Little Rock costumes while making Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

The majority of the pictures are black & white while the few color photos included are dark & muddy; not brilliant as one would expect. Quotations by Marilyn & others are liberally sprinkled throughout on brightly colored pages. This book is definitely an average attempt and not quite worth the hefty price it retails for. Look at the book before deciding whether to buy & then seek it at a discounted price!

A must have for any Marilyn Monroe fan.
This book is full of rare and beautiful photos!
I own several Marilyn books and this is one of
the best photographic books I have seen.
The amazon price for this book can't be beat.
Recomended for the collector looking for
stunning Marilyn photos.

I've got to say, the pictures in this book are amazing. The book is a little bigger than a notebook, and the pictures are just about full size, making them about 8x10. Which is great if you want to put them on your wall.

My only complaint about the pictures are: although there are about 2 or 3 pictures of her on the beach with the white bathing suit on, that's it. Why not put more of them, they are some of Marilyn's best pictures. Also, the pictures of her in the field in the blue dress, why not more? As is with the pictures of her in the field with the white dress. I don't understand.

I love all of the pictures of her at home in a relaxed state.

But the one thing that sensitive Marilyn Monroe fans might not like is the Foreword. David Thompson almost seems not to like her. But no one knows the exact truth about Marilyn's life, so the stuff he says may be true. If so, I feel sorry for her.

I don't know what to think of her, since I've read so much about her from different people. But it seems like she was a very complex person. Like myself, people don't know what to think about her. That's what I think draws me to her even more. I used to just love her for her wonderful pictures, but now it's fun learning more about her.

Although Mr. Thompson's foreword kind of irked me a little, this book is well worth it to a Marilyn fan or fan of beautiful pictures.

I hope this review helped someone. It's my first review, thanks for reading.

This gorgeous, classy book encompasses the lifespan of the young Norma Jeane Baker/Mortenson, from lonely little girl to unknown young model, and through her metamorphosis into luminous superstar Marilyn Monroe, as well as into the last days of her life. The story is told through photographs.

It is full of beautiful b&w and color photos, both portraits and unposed snapshots, many of which I haven't seen before. There are also many quotes included, both by MM and about her, and there is a brief timeline at the end of the book that gives an overview of many of the important events in her life. The very short biography at the beginning of the book is a bit drab, but the main story here is, of course, the pictures, which encompass so many of the moments of her life.

If you never got the chance to own Spada's "Monroe: Her Life in Pictures," this would make a nice replacement. This is a wonderful and eclectic gathering of photos, and would be an attractive addition to any MM library.

I can't give you a review of the book that I orderd about 6 weeks
ago because it was never shipped to me. I have contacted the company,
but, no response.

Another must have and if the cover makes you gaga then imagine its contents! you will love it and her even more!

I bought this book from Amazon along with other products and I found this book to be amazing. The pictures are just stunning. I sat on the couch for hours with my mother as we looked at them. I was also surprised to leanr how much my mom likes Marilyn Monroe and how much she knew about her.

This is a must have for any Marilyn collector. :D

This is quite simply a picture book. There's not much text to speak of, instead we are presented with page after page of mostly large size images of Marilyn - mostly one image per page.

One of the things I like about this book is that while some of the images are well known, not all of them are. There are glamor shots and even nicer images of her informal among her friends. Best of all we are not restricted to just black and white images. There are plenty of colour shots included.

If you are after a book of Marilyn images that won't overwhelm you with lots of small black and white photos then this book is recommended. Marilyn was incredibly photogenic and this book showcases a good selection of the type of photos taken of her.