What do you think?
Rate this book
Vanity Fair's Hollywood
The definitive book of its kind, Vanity Fair's Hollywood is an incomparable collection of classic photographs, essays and caricatures depicting a century of Hollywood power, glamour, myth and mystery - directly from the pages of Vanity Fair, from 1914 to today. The brightest stars in Hollywood's firmament have been assembled in one volume: Garbo and Swanson, Gable and Grant, Tracy and Hepburn, Fairbanks and Pickford, Taylor and Burton - along with today's cinematic giants: Cruise and Kidman, Nicholson and Streep, De Niro and DiCaprio, Hanks and Roberts, and scores more. Vanity Fair's photographers - among them Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Edward Steichen and Bruce Weber - have helped to define modern portraiture. Likewise, Vanity Fair's stable of Hollywood writers in this volume includes luminaries of the past (P.G. Wodehouse, Dorothy Parker and D.H. Lawrence) and of the present (Christopher Hitchens, Dominick Dunne, Amy Fine). Here, then, is a century's worth of stars and moguls, parties and scandals, power and glamour, through the unrivalled lens and the inimitable prose of Vanity Fair.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 19, 2019
I bought this beautiful volume in 2003, right after Christmas, and what with markdown upon markdown, this book cost me $7.50.
I loved this book and so did my best friend. She'd always tell me I should give it to her; she'd appreciate it more. I never did give it to her, and in 2005, she literally dropped dead from a brain anyeursm. Eight years later, I met a wonderful elderly man who had made his living as a photographer. We sat one day going through his work and he was telling me about the photographers he admired, and most of them appear in Vanity Fair's Hollywood. It was then I decided that I was meant to give this book away and I gave it to him. He told me he went through the book from start to finish and loved it dearly.
It was, in my own way, an homage to my dear friend.
While I believe my rating of this book is objective, it is also filled with much emotion.
I loved this book and so did my best friend. She'd always tell me I should give it to her; she'd appreciate it more. I never did give it to her, and in 2005, she literally dropped dead from a brain anyeursm. Eight years later, I met a wonderful elderly man who had made his living as a photographer. We sat one day going through his work and he was telling me about the photographers he admired, and most of them appear in Vanity Fair's Hollywood. It was then I decided that I was meant to give this book away and I gave it to him. He told me he went through the book from start to finish and loved it dearly.
It was, in my own way, an homage to my dear friend.
While I believe my rating of this book is objective, it is also filled with much emotion.
July 1, 2010
The back cover blurb opens with 'Here is the ultimate Hollywood book,' and that's not far off. Though it could easily be dismissed (as one reviewer here did) as a collection of glossy photos of pretty people, it's really more than that.
The photos are spectacular, ranging from occasional movie stills and behind-the-scenes shots to highly-regarded portraiture from the likes of Annie Liebowitz. Subjects range from the reprehensible empire-maker Ted Turner to a very young Drew Barrymore, from Joan & Jackie Collins (looking very like a jacket photo for one of the latter's novels) to Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon (half-naked & in drag...in the 90s!). Nearly the entire span of motion picture history is given at least a glance. Captions are ably handled by Christopher Hitchens.
Though the photos make up the bulk of this mighty tome, the occasional articles would've been worth a book unto themselves. Entries from P.G. Wodehouse, Dorothy Parker & Carl Sandburg (to name just the most recognisable) are at the classic end of the scale, while weightier articles from Hitchens (a boozy meander along the length of Sunset), Peter Biskind (on 70s super-agent Sue Mengers) and others fill in the more modern, newsier side. All superb reading, even if you're just a little interested.
This book is a must-have for movie fans, though Cineastes may want to look elsewhere for something less frivolous.
The photos are spectacular, ranging from occasional movie stills and behind-the-scenes shots to highly-regarded portraiture from the likes of Annie Liebowitz. Subjects range from the reprehensible empire-maker Ted Turner to a very young Drew Barrymore, from Joan & Jackie Collins (looking very like a jacket photo for one of the latter's novels) to Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon (half-naked & in drag...in the 90s!). Nearly the entire span of motion picture history is given at least a glance. Captions are ably handled by Christopher Hitchens.
Though the photos make up the bulk of this mighty tome, the occasional articles would've been worth a book unto themselves. Entries from P.G. Wodehouse, Dorothy Parker & Carl Sandburg (to name just the most recognisable) are at the classic end of the scale, while weightier articles from Hitchens (a boozy meander along the length of Sunset), Peter Biskind (on 70s super-agent Sue Mengers) and others fill in the more modern, newsier side. All superb reading, even if you're just a little interested.
This book is a must-have for movie fans, though Cineastes may want to look elsewhere for something less frivolous.
November 4, 2012
This is the magazine that made me stand up and take notice of Annie Leibovitz, and I've been a fan ever since. Lots of great photographs in this collection. It's work the buy.
March 7, 2021
I've wanted a peek at this book since it was published. I'm a huge fan of the Vanity Fair annual Hollywood issue. This book is a collection of photos from those issues, added with pictures from the magazine's 1930s run. There are some articles interspersed, which I didn't read too thoroughly. It's a textbook coffee table book.
September 10, 2021
This was my 2nd return to this book. I can never get enough of my love for the vintage movie classics as well as VANITY FAIR. I read every article again and enjoyed reliving Hollywood's halcyon days.
Favorite Quote: "I am a simple, unabashed fan" (Graydon Carter, former editor of VANITY FAIR).
Favorite Quote: "I am a simple, unabashed fan" (Graydon Carter, former editor of VANITY FAIR).
December 22, 2017
A great collection of photos.
February 3, 2019
A rich collection of images and stories that help us understand the history of Hollywood and what it has become today.
January 2, 2025
An iconic summation of Vanity Fair history, filled with gorgeous garbs and picturesque views of pop culture.
June 11, 2007
I SWEAR TO GOD I HAVE READ EVER CAPTION IN THIS HUGAMONGOUS BOOK
sad. i know
sad. i know
December 17, 2007
Glossy pictures of (mostly) pretty people. The. End.
February 8, 2008
I need a better photographer
November 25, 2008
Breanne got me this lovely lovely book for Christmas one year. Go Breanne!
July 27, 2014
Contains beautiful black-and-white pictures of old Hollywood and some iconic color pictures by famous photographer Anne Leibowitz
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews