Norman Mailer, Bert Stern: Marilyn Monroe Collector's Ed

Future Vintage: Norman Mailer & Bert Stein: Marilyn Monroe Collector's Edition coffee table book. Published by Taschen, 2011.

This new edition pairs Norman Mailer's original text (from his 1973 biography Marilyn) with Bert Stern's extraordinary photographs - widely considered the most intimate ever taken of Monroe - to create a fitting tribute to the woman who, at the time of her death in 1962, was the world's most famous, a symbol of glamour and eroticism for an entire generation.

Though she was feted and adored by her public, her private life was that of a little girl lost, desperate to find love and security. Mailer's Marilyn is beautiful, tragic, and complex. As Mailer reflects upon her life - from her bleak childhood through to the mysterious circumstances of her death - Monroe emerges as a symbol of the bizarre decade during which she reigned as Hollywood's greatest female star.

This book, conceived by Lawrence Schiller, Mailer's collaborator on five works, combines the author's masterful text with Stern's penetrating images of the 36-year-old Marilyn. Photographed for Vogue magazine over three days at the Bel-Air Hotel, Marilyn had never allowed such unfettered access, nor had she looked so breathtakingly beautiful. Six weeks later, mysteriously, she was dead. In this bold synthesis of literary classic and legendary portrait sitting, Mailer and Stern lift the veils of confusion surrounding Monroe - the woman, the star, the sex symbol - and offer profound insight into an iconic figure whose true personality remains an enigma even today.

Limited to a total of 1,962 numbered copies signed by Bert Stern, this book is available as the Collector's Edition offered here (No. 251-1,962), and also in two Art Editions of 125 copies each (No. 1-250).

Due to the timeliness and popularity of this product, please enquire for availability prior to purchasing.