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MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe-Leonard Maltin
334 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2011
6 people are currently reading
958 people want to read
About the author
Lois W. Banner
21 books12 followersA founder of the field of women's history in the 1970s, Lois Banner is Professor of History Emerita at the University of Southern California. Banner graduated from UCLA, with a Master's Degree in European History and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in American history. Along with Mary Hartman, she founded the Berkshire Conference in Women's History, the biennial conference that has been held ever since and that is considered the major event in the field. She was the first woman president of the American Studies Association, and in 2006 she won the Bode-Pearson prize of the American Studies Association for Lifetime Achievement in the field. Professor Banner is also a past president of the Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association, and of the Coordinating Committee in Women's History of the American Historical Association. She has also been a fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation, of the Radcliffe Institute of Harvard College, and of the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 13, 2011
What I love about this book is, that it has a feel of neutrality to it. This must be due to the author and her university background, which imho is always a plus, who presents the findings and doesn't tell me what to think about them. She offers theories of interpretation and explanations, all well researched it seems to me, but I can make up my own mind how I feel about it. Also it is well.structured and lovingly visually arranged.
And I feel as if I see Marilyn Monroe as a human being for the first time. And I am grateful for that. I look at the receipts, the letters, the various documents and I am saddened that she had to leave this world so soon, but I also see, that this woman was truly just a flawed as we all are. Not that I doubted that before.
I can recommend this book to people who are interested in MM. It doesn't romanticize her, so you'd really have to be interested to read letters of people whom you don't know or look through receipts. It isn't as personal at "The Audrey Hepburn Treasures" e.g.
But it is worth a read.
And I feel as if I see Marilyn Monroe as a human being for the first time. And I am grateful for that. I look at the receipts, the letters, the various documents and I am saddened that she had to leave this world so soon, but I also see, that this woman was truly just a flawed as we all are. Not that I doubted that before.
I can recommend this book to people who are interested in MM. It doesn't romanticize her, so you'd really have to be interested to read letters of people whom you don't know or look through receipts. It isn't as personal at "The Audrey Hepburn Treasures" e.g.
But it is worth a read.
February 25, 2011
This book is gorgeous to look at, with lots of Monroe-related documents photographed by Mark Anderson, plus some rare pics of Marilyn & friends. Lois Banner's accompanying text is both detailed and insightful, giving an original and accurate perspective on the iconic star. Many books have been published about Monroe, but this is one of the few I'd call essential. I look forward to reading Banner's full-length biography which I'm sure will be just as fascinating, maybe more.
January 29, 2012
I received this book as a very thoughtful Christmas gift and I must say that the design and contents of this book are beautifully rendered. Looking through the pages of what is basically the daily effluvia of a life made me mindful of what story the bits and pieces in my life might tell when I am no longer here to speak for myself. This book also gives even the casual fan of Marilyn Monroe insight into her complicated relationships (including the one with herself...). I also enjoyed being able to get a glimpse into mid-Twentieth Century America, where telegrams were the email of the day and people still handwrote letters as a means of communication. This book did not disappoint.
September 14, 2012
Wow--just wow. With the many MM books I have read, I have always had a hard time picking a favorite --this is definitely one of them---detailing MM's personal history through her file cabinets, the pictures, letters and text are a must have for the true fan--I felt so close to her reading this--her writing letters to her stepkids in the voice of their dog, the many personal things she kept--this right up there with the auction guide I paid 100 dollars for among my favorite MM things ever.
June 6, 2012
http://xoxoxoe.blogspot.com/2012/05/s...
"MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe is by no means a definitive text on the star, but it is an interesting glimpse into the actress's life, and it makes one wonder how our own lives might be pieced together by the detritus of our daily lives."
"MM-Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe is by no means a definitive text on the star, but it is an interesting glimpse into the actress's life, and it makes one wonder how our own lives might be pieced together by the detritus of our daily lives."
March 21, 2011
I found this different window into Monroe's life to be quite fascinating. It's nice to see someone publish something that is both factual and somewhat kind.
July 12, 2012
She is my idol.This book was so amazing on showing her back story It just made her more amazing to me than i thought she was you all need to read to see.
April 9, 2023
Not what I expected.
Amazing to see so many things but it was a lot of ‘admin’ and not as many personal photos, clothes etc.
What jewellery is shown is absolutely stunning.
Amazing to see so many things but it was a lot of ‘admin’ and not as many personal photos, clothes etc.
What jewellery is shown is absolutely stunning.
August 20, 2013
Prior to her excellent biography of Marilyn Monroe (reviewed on the bookshelf bombshells blog last year, http://bookshelfbombshells.com/review...), Banner published MM—Personal from documents and artifacts found in two filing cabinets thought lost for 40 years. Just knowing that these two cabinets contain private letters and notes would pique the interest of any Marilyn fan, but the intro in which Banner describes their journey from Marilyn’s hands to the present holders will be fascinating for anyone interested in historic documents or manuscripts.
Scholar that she is, Banner provides helpful context for the letters, brief notes, and nicknames contained within—all those things that might puzzle anyone reading about Marilyn over 50 years after all contents of the cabinet were filed. Banner’s stellar instincts tell her exactly when to provide everything from narrative to brief description, and it never fails. As mentioned previously, the filing cabinets had a convoluted—and possibly extra-legal— journey from Marilyn’s estate to the 21st century, and, as a result, the provenance of everything found in the cabinets is unclear. Many items are clearly Marilyn’s; others may not have been. Banner always provides information on the likelihood of odd or incongruous items having belonged to Marilyn, and this reviewer believes she’s as correct as anyone could be.
Combined with Anderson’s photographic abilities, MM—Personal is the next best thing to getting to go through the stuff yourself. Photographing gorgeous clothes and jewels is an easy assignment, but Anderson includes the yellowing newspaper articles, blurry typescripts, and handwritten notes that bring Marilyn Monroe to life. She didn’t just exist solely on screen. Like any woman—correction, like any human—she had bills to send off, collected recipes to try, and saved photographs of family and friends. I was worried this book would make me feel ghoulish, but it’s entirely the opposite. It’s a wonderful side of Marilyn that I had suspected was her at the core, and it’s heartening to see it confirmed.
The document which affected me greatly was a letter from the mother of a soldier serving in Korea. Many entertainers visited Korea but mostly in Seoul and Inchon—Marilyn performed at bases on the front lines, signed autographs, and posed for pictures. The soldier wanted to let his mother know how much he admired Marilyn, as other performers rarely did these things. The mother felt compelled to relay to Marilyn what this meant to troops isolated on the front lines, rarely able to see a USO show.
Other small items that speak volumes are charge receipts. Marilyn loved cologne and jewelry, but on her return to Hollywood in 1961, the first charge account she opened was not at a store that sold either, although both would have been legitimate purchases for a movie star. Like a true Bombshell, she opened one at a bookstore first. Marilyn had her priorities.
Scholar that she is, Banner provides helpful context for the letters, brief notes, and nicknames contained within—all those things that might puzzle anyone reading about Marilyn over 50 years after all contents of the cabinet were filed. Banner’s stellar instincts tell her exactly when to provide everything from narrative to brief description, and it never fails. As mentioned previously, the filing cabinets had a convoluted—and possibly extra-legal— journey from Marilyn’s estate to the 21st century, and, as a result, the provenance of everything found in the cabinets is unclear. Many items are clearly Marilyn’s; others may not have been. Banner always provides information on the likelihood of odd or incongruous items having belonged to Marilyn, and this reviewer believes she’s as correct as anyone could be.
Combined with Anderson’s photographic abilities, MM—Personal is the next best thing to getting to go through the stuff yourself. Photographing gorgeous clothes and jewels is an easy assignment, but Anderson includes the yellowing newspaper articles, blurry typescripts, and handwritten notes that bring Marilyn Monroe to life. She didn’t just exist solely on screen. Like any woman—correction, like any human—she had bills to send off, collected recipes to try, and saved photographs of family and friends. I was worried this book would make me feel ghoulish, but it’s entirely the opposite. It’s a wonderful side of Marilyn that I had suspected was her at the core, and it’s heartening to see it confirmed.
The document which affected me greatly was a letter from the mother of a soldier serving in Korea. Many entertainers visited Korea but mostly in Seoul and Inchon—Marilyn performed at bases on the front lines, signed autographs, and posed for pictures. The soldier wanted to let his mother know how much he admired Marilyn, as other performers rarely did these things. The mother felt compelled to relay to Marilyn what this meant to troops isolated on the front lines, rarely able to see a USO show.
Other small items that speak volumes are charge receipts. Marilyn loved cologne and jewelry, but on her return to Hollywood in 1961, the first charge account she opened was not at a store that sold either, although both would have been legitimate purchases for a movie star. Like a true Bombshell, she opened one at a bookstore first. Marilyn had her priorities.
February 29, 2016
This is a wonderful book to own and look at: the pictures are bright, glossy and colourful. The small written chapters included are unbiased and give a solid overview of Marilyn's life and career.
Although enjoyable to flick through, it didn't really add much more insight than I have already come across in other books about Marilyn. At times, you do find yourself questioning why you are looking through pages of receipts for dry cleaning, inventories of clothing and so on, but letters to and from Marilyn were more interesting and helped illustrate the kind of person she was.
I don't regret having bought and read the book, but I don't feel I would have missed out terribly having not done so.
Although enjoyable to flick through, it didn't really add much more insight than I have already come across in other books about Marilyn. At times, you do find yourself questioning why you are looking through pages of receipts for dry cleaning, inventories of clothing and so on, but letters to and from Marilyn were more interesting and helped illustrate the kind of person she was.
I don't regret having bought and read the book, but I don't feel I would have missed out terribly having not done so.
December 19, 2013
This book is a very comprehensive and loving portrait of what has been found in her own file cabinets, ranging from stuffs that were found a long time ago to the very recently found (circa 2008), this must have been a cumbersome effort to collate, and is beautifully photographed with roses and interesting details abound. The narrative that accompanies the imagery is sparse, as it should be, for the images do the talking; the foreword and intermixed texts are really interesting, and do their bit to display Monroe as the multi-faceted person, reader and business-person that she was.
February 4, 2014
Not as many pictures of Marilyn herself as I thought there would be, and I especially wish that some of the letters weren't cut off and the copies of newspapers had been big enough enough to actually read the original articles (original newspaper text as it was was about font size 2 to 4). However, the pictures are of good quality and the text sections are easily and quickly read. Lots of interesting bits and pieces. Sometimes a little dry, but I like that it seemed factual and not embellished.
August 11, 2012
I like most biographies of Marilyn and I've read several over the years. This one is very different, it is more a photo biography than a written one. The problem I had with it was the huge build-up in the beginning about how it would reveal so many new things about Marilyn. It didn't, I'd either read about it or heard about it before.
So, although I enjoyed the pictures (many I hadn't seen before), the rest was just blah.
So, although I enjoyed the pictures (many I hadn't seen before), the rest was just blah.
August 3, 2012
What a tremendous account of her life! It was great to see all the documentation of her history, and also surmising what much of it means. Also debunks many theories that proliferate about Marilyn's short life.
December 31, 2015
Lots of photos and memorabilia such as fan letters, receipts and letters addressed to and from Marilyn and more. Short, concise biography that holds a lot of good general information. If you're a Marilyn fan this book is a must see.
August 1, 2013
I don't think there is anything cooler than recently discovered artifacts from an icon who still enchants us.....this book is, quite simply, lovely/fascinating.
June 2, 2016
Simply one of the most gorgeous books on Marilyn to be published in recent times - a wealth of information for anyone Marilyn fan or not
August 24, 2014
My version of the book was 335 pages
September 22, 2012
Just when you thought there was nothing more to find...
July 18, 2013
The details and the minutiae of her life provide greater insights than many biographies.
March 30, 2014
I loved this book especially Marilyn's handwritten letters
July 1, 2014
Neat book full of lots of Marilyn memorabilia - I liked it.
January 13, 2015
Great visual aids to accompany this historical account of an icon
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June 21, 2015Marilyn's personal archives? Yes, please.
January 25, 2016
This was a well put together photo journal of things from Marilyn Monroe's personal file cabinets.
Informative and interesting. Well done.
Informative and interesting. Well done.
February 26, 2016
3.5 stars
June 6, 2011
Beautifully done, with many factoids and photos that I'd never seen before.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews