Each book in this affordable series is a virtual personal photo album of a legendary entertainer. Packed with photos that are complemented by informative captions, these stunning books tell the fascinating stories behind the lives and careers of some of the twentieth century's most recognizable personalities.

Norma Jean has inspired and created more headlines than any other movie actress, yet her marriages, affairs and life choices all distract us from the talent of this very beautiful woman. Famous quotes on and from Monroe further reveal the thoughts of her closest friends, collaborators and admirers.

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

Was there ever anyone else like Marilyn? It's nearly 50 years since her untimely death and no one has been able to step into her shoes. While her career, indeed her life, was marked by personal problems and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with, she is still responsible for such enduring favorite films as Some Like it Hot, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and The Seven Year Itch. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest American female star of all time by the American Film Institute above such stars as Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawfod, and Ginger Rogers. On August 5, 1962, she was found dead of an overdose of barbiturates that may have been an accident or suicide-although conspiracy theories also include murder by such wide-ranging miscreants as the CIA, the Mafia, or the Kennedys. Marilyn Her Life in Pictures opens with a concise biographical introduction and then provides a chronological visual story of her life, decade by decade from her early years, through the hard times as she built her reputation as an actor, to her greatest successes-Some Like It Hot, The Seven-Year Itch, Bus Stop, and others. The camera loved Marilyn, and photographers were always on hand to take her picture. Marilyn: Her life in Pictures choses from the huge number of images available to produce a fascinating coverage of her eventful but brief life, from photos of her early life, through her first photo shoots with David Conover, and Joseph Jagur, to the iconic images of the films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Written at the height of her fame but not published until over a decade after her death, this autobiography of actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) poignantly recounts her childhood as an unwanted orphan, her early adolescence, her rise in the film industry from bit player to celebrity, and her marriage to Joe DiMaggio. In this intimate account of a very public life, she tells of her first (non-consensual) sexual experience, her romance with the Yankee Clipper, and her prescient vision of herself as "the kind of girl they found dead in the hall bedroom with an empty bottle of sleeping pills in her hand." The Marilyn in these pages is a revelation: a gifted, intelligent, vulnerable woman who was far more complex than the unwitting sex siren she portrayed on screen. Lavishly illustrated with photos of Marilyn, this special book celebrates the life and career of an American icon—-from the unique perspective of the icon herself.

For everyone who is fascinated by the personality, the image, the myth of Marilyn Monroe, this is the ultimate international collection of Monroe memorabilia. From Norma Jeane Baker Mortensen to celebrity-goddess, the text and illustrations trace Marilyn's course through Hollywood, detailing her early aspirations, her modeling and movie careers, her marriages, travels, and critical reception. Among the hundreds of illustrations are vibrant magazine covers, advertisements, and film posters from America and Europe, South America, and the Middle East; personal notes; Philippe Halsman's famous "jumping" portraits; nudes featured in Playboy and other publications; film stills; and fine art.

There have been many Marilyn Monroe photo books—but nothing like this. Curator and photographic preservationist David Wills has amassed one of the world's largest independent archives of original Marilyn Monroe photographs. Now, in Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis, he has gathered spectacular, museum-quality work from Marilyn's key photographers—Richard Avedon, George Barris, Cecil Beaton, Bernard of Hollywood, Andre de Dienes, Elliott Erwitt, Milton Greene, Philippe Halsman, Tom Kelley, Douglas Kirkland, Willy Rizzo, Sam Shaw, and many others—to create this dazzling portfolio of images from every period of Marilyn Monroe's adult life, from her wedding day in 1942 till just weeks before her death two decades later. Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis pays homage to her continually evolving style and extraordinary beauty. Among the highlights: Previously unseen Kodachrome, dye transfer, and Carbro prints of Norma Jeane from her modeling career. Classic portraits and pinups in luscious full color, digitally restored from the original transparencies. Never-before-seen photos from the sets of The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot, The Misfits, and Something's Got to Give. Rare candid of Marilyn with Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, and others. Previously unpublished photos by Richard Avedon, George Barris, Cecil Beaton, David Conover, Elliott Erwitt, John Florea, Tom Kelley, Richard C. Miller, Frank Powolny, Willy Rizzo, Zinn Arthur, and many others. Pairing more than two hundred first-generation photos with reflections on Marilyn from her friends, work associates, and admirers—and including her last interview, in which she reflects on her life and fame—Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosiss is an unforgettable showcase of the actress's transformation from an unknown factory worker to one of the most recognized faces in history.