Monroe

by James Spada

A pictorial biography of Marilyn Monroe chronicles the personal life and film career of the actress and captures the special qualities that made her a legendary star

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Film, Biography Memoir, Photography, Celebrity, History

194 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 1982

About the author

As a thirteen-year-old kid in Staten Island, James Spada started the first Marilyn Monroe Memorial Fan Club. He produced four bulletins and one yearbook a year for four years, when he had to disband the club due to lack of money.

In college he founded EMK: The Edward M. Kennedy Quarterly, and worked as an intern in Senator Kennedy’s Boston office in 1970.

At 23 his first book, Barbra: The First Decade (The Films and Career of Barbra Streisand), was published. He followed that up with the authorized book The Films of Robert Redford. He went on to write illustrated coffee-table books about Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Midler, Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty, and Jane Fonda.

In 1987 his first non-pictorial biography, Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, became a major international bestseller. He followed that up with intimate biographies of Peter Lawford, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, and Julia Roberts.

His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, People, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Book Review, McCall’s, the Los Angeles Times, the London Sunday Express, and many other publications.

In 2010 his first work of fiction, Days When My Heart was Volcanic—A Novel of Edgar Allan Poe, was published.

In recent years he has become equally renowned as a photographer of the male nude. His first collection, Black & White Men, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award as the Best Visual Arts Book of 2000.

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From "Black & White Men" published in 2000:
Over the past several years, Jim has also become known for his evocative black-and-white studies of the male nude. He has had three one-man exhibitions, most recently in January 2000 at the prestigious Gallery One at the New England School of Photography in Boston. "I've been taking pictures since I was a teenager," Jim says, "but it took a back seat to my celebrity books. Now I d like to be known as a hyphenate, a writer-photographer. Photographing people is very much like writing about them, except that I'm creating the portrait with light rather than words. Light is as much a subject for me as the model."

Reviews

[Mariℓina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Stars!
I 'm not a huge fan of Marilyn, but this book made me see her from another perspective..


Although its not a book filled with her personal life story, what is told bassed on her public appearearnces are enough to make a very fulfilling timeline laced with pictures, quotes, anecdotes and all this wrapped with a pretty bow..


The pictures are countless followed with informative short stories. All of them are stunning and in great quality. From her first photo as a baby to her last one before she died..


Written from people who loved her this book is more about the public eye, her relationships with her co-workers, the parties, her time while filming and how she lived her life all captured by the photography lens..


The biggest achievement of this book ensues on how Marilyn is a fine example of a woman's style in her era.. Both fashionwise and from a sociological standpoint..

I really loved it and i had a nice time reading it.. I also learnt many thinks about her life that i had no idea about..



THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK
- It's nicely written..
- The authors decide not to dive into dangerous waters.. They prefer to only reaccounts events..
- Again the pictures are amazing.. Magnetizing and beautiful..
- Very informative.. And not judgemental..



Not included in the book but the above are my favorite pictures of her ..

[عماد العتيلي · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now it is all at an end. I hope that her death will stir sympathy and understanding for a sensitive artist and woman who brought joy and pleasure to the world.”

RIP poor Marilyn.
My heart aches! I feel I'm connected to her somehow. This woman lived a victim and died a victim.
You know, to me, Marilyn is more of a fictional character than a real person! A beautiful imaginary angel! I can't even imagine she ever existed! I think I'm gonna dream of her tonight. Her face will haunt my dreams for a very long time.



At the height of her fame and glory, Marilyn writes:

“What am I afraid of? Why am I so afraid? Do I think I can’t act? I know I can act but I am afraid. I am afraid and I should not be and I must not be. Fuck!”

When you read such notes, and when you look at Marilyn's deep sad eyes, you'll think she's a very complicated person. But in fact she's the complete opposite!
One of her friends (Montand) said:

“I was too tender and thought that maybe she was as sophisticated as some of the other ladies I have known. I’ve never known anyone quite like Marilyn Monroe. She is known throughout the world, but she is still a child”



I can say now that I'm officially obsessed with Marilyn Monroe.

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't call her a saint, but she became a trailblazer for women everywhere, as someone who fearlessly (I suppose that's the wrong word - as it was likely against her better judgment) promoted her sexuality. Granted, she was a difficult actress to work with (as mentioned by many actors who've worked with her), but I admire her sensual nature and strive to wholeheartedly embrace my own.

[Teemu Öhman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of James Spada's "Monroe" is "Her Life in Pictures". That really sums it up nicely. To quote the prefacee: "This book might well be considered the history of Marilyn Monroe's love affair with the camera." Thus, this is mostly a picture book. The reproduction of the photos is of reasonably high quality (given the book is from 1982) and the lengthy captions provide an easy to read chronological biography of Marilyn's public life. So don't expect lengthy analysis of Marilyn's innermost demons or speculations about the mafia/Kennedy conspiracy. It's just a pictorial summary of her life in front of the camera, and as such it works very well indeed.

[Ipiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Des photographies rares et une présentation chronologique plutôt réussie. Les jugements de valeur disséminés dans une écriture somme toute assez médiocre viennent gâcher une lecture qui aurait pu être agréable.

[Isabella Vuoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great biography to find information about Marilyn Monroe. I hope you enjoy it as much as i do!

[Antonio Matta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful photo-biogrophy by one of Marilyn's most loyal fans.

[Jan Salvilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of photos.

[Lo Espi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been very curious of Marilyn Monroe's life since the day I learned of her name. I thought she was pretty and very intriguing. She had that innocence that I hardly see in sex symbols. Then I read some of her words and the curiousity just grew.

Reading this book made me more fascinated with MM. She had a short, yet colorful life and somehow, I wanted to know more!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not going to deny it was lovely to read. Marilyn was a fascinating human being. We can all fall under her spell just by simply viewing her photographs. The way men looked at her, simply spellbinding. The details of her life, is what mostly can be found on any internet search, there is nothing added in this retelling of Marilyn's story. The little-girl/womanly-woman, intellectually bright/dumb blonde, innocent girl/sexually loaded and other extreme opposites in her personality are mostly what stand out. I found the many perceptions of her interesting through this walk-through from the view of the star being mentally ill, stupid, to then being called exceptionally bright with many witticisms, kind, but also deeply insecure. Marilyn is a colorful character and most photographed woman. I guess hundreds of these kinds of books can be made. The fascination withe this woman, never appears to dwindle, there are new fans gained every day. The life of Marilyn could have been the best fairy tale if she lost some of those insecurities and it didn't end so tragically. The tragedy, beauty, and fragility are probably what has made her so appealing. A good read, nothing startlingly new revealed, but great for a rehash of her fully lived, but short life.

[Gigill · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom found this book while cleaning out her book shelves and immediately passed it on to me, as I'm a Marilyn fan. Even though I am quite familiar with the tragic side of Marilyn's story (and don't get sick of reading about it), I loved how this book followed Marilyn's career and highlighted many of her good times through photos matched with a brief description.

It's basically a Marilyn photo album, but I thought the author did a good job chronicling the story behind each image. The book is broken up into chunks earmarked with the year(s)and titles like "starlet" and "acclaim"--smart organization from a reader standpoint.

The image selection is well thought out, and Marilyn is captivating on camera as always. Overall, this book is a good intro for Marilyn newbies and some great eye candy for fans.

My one complaint is the glue binding did not hold up after all these years, and it flaked all over each time I opened it.

[Michael Mayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some beautiful pictures in here but I prefer the Marilyn books that are compiled around a particular photographer or time period. Many of these photos were taken at movie premiers, on the set, or specifically for publicity purposes. Eve Arnold's were more candid and less glossy.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought it when it came out. Greatest book on Marilyn at the time. Chronological and informative. I had read James Spada's book about Barbra Streisand years earlier and really liked the style and set up of his books.

[Arsenio Peraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never get tired of seeing pictures of Marilyn Monroe.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Marilyn photo book. I've had it for years. It's literally falling apart,. I've looked at it so much.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great pictures. I enjoyed this book. She had a very sad life growing up that I would have never known about.

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5