Marilyn

1956 · ref. 151580 — Garden City New York: Doubleday & Company Inc 1956. First edition in book form of the famed actress's ghostwritten piece for Pageant magazine often considered the closest thing to an autobiographical work published during her lifetime. Octavo original cloth illustrated with 43 photographs. Signed by Marilyn Monroe on the front free endpaper. Although Monroe was an avid reader—as demonstrated by the celebrated 1999 Christie’s sale of her personal library—books bearing her signature are exceptionally rare. The present volume is the only work published during her lifetime that was directly derived from her own words as recorded in contemporaneous interviews. Her only formal autobiography My Story was issued posthumously in 1974. From the library of critic photographer and artist Paul McMahon who served as a stage manager for Marlene Dietrich for more than thirteen years. McMahon obtained Monroe’s signature in person at a 1957 theatrical performance in New York City having learned in advance that she would be in attendance with her then-husband Arthur Miller. Monroe was not known to sign books and did so only rarely; on this occasion however she appears to have been taken by surprise by McMahon’s request and nevertheless obliged reportedly despite Miller’s evident irritation. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Jacket photograph of Marilyn Monroe by Topix. Jacket design by Sydney Butchkes. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from JSA. Exceptionally rare no signed copy of any comparable biographical work has appeared at auction in the past half century. Authored by Pete Martin 1901–1980 a longtime Hollywood reporter and noted ghostwriter of celebrity narratives Will Acting Spoil Marilyn Monroe is presented in the form of a semi-fictionalized dialogue in which a group of interlocutors including Monroe herself alternately reflect upon her life and career. The text is based on a series of extensive interviews conducted by Martin with Monroe between 1955 and 1956 during the period in which she was studying method acting under Lee Strasberg. The resulting work conveys a notable degree of intimacy between writer and subject and captures Monroe’s reflections on fame vulnerability artistic ambition and her persistent desire to be regarded as a serious actress. It is within this text that several of her most frequently cited remarks first appeared including “I think people need human warmth even when they're asleep and unconscious” “Those who know me better know better” and in reference to her nude calendar “I'm saving a copy of it for my grandchildren.” Although Martin undoubtedly shaped the material into a coherent narrative the voice that emerges remains recognizably Monroe’s own. Doubleday & Company, Inc hardcover