Marilyn Monroe for Beginners

I pay a tribute to my idol, Marilyn Monroe (MM) in my Monroe Mondays, where I post a photo that is not so common every Monday. Several has commented that they liked it, and therefore I thought about writing a post about "MM for Beginners". There are a  lot of books about MM on sale, but what to choose? I have many, not all of them of course, but I can say that not all of them are equally good, many of them is waste of money. So here are my suggestions if you also think MM is wonderful.

MM The Complete Biography, is really good to read if you want to know about her life. I have no idea if all of it is really true, but the author has investigated a lot and also interviewed many and most of it sounds true:

The second book I want to recommend is Metamorphosis. It is a photo book and it is fabulous! The photos are of the best quality and they are listed cronologically, which I think is brilliant - buy it! I bought mine at Amazon UK:

My third recommendation is Fragments. It is Marilyn's own scriblings, notes, poems, lists, etc. It really takes you to her world and tells a lot about what she thought about and her problems. I read it a little at a time, since I got a bit depressed reading it:

One of the more expensive and rare books, but an absolute must have for your collection is The Personal Property of MM:

It is big boy, the same size as an ordinary garden flagstone, that lists all her private belongings as Christie's put for auction in 1999. It also gives a unique insight into her personality, when you flip through it and see her few and very unflashy things. But it is not easy to find, now you're warned.

The last I want to recommend for your collection of MM books is of course My Story, that is her own story told to a journalist and it was intended to be published in a magazine in several chapters. It never happened and now the heirs of Milton Greene have published it as a book with Milton's lovely photos of her:

But please don't believe all of it. It was well known that MM often told a lie or exaggerated about her awful childhood and other things she thought should be more interesting.

Well, that was books - but how about movies? Which ones can I recommend? I have several MM movies I love, but my absolute favourite is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I've seen it many times and I never go stale on it. I love both MM and Jane Russel (she is really wonderful in her role) and I love the clothes, the costumes, the dancing, and the songs - watch it:

Another MM classic is Some Like It Hot, where the boys, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, are absolutely fabulous:

Do listen carefully, because there are some really great remarks and a brilliant humour.

And lastly I will recommend to see My Week with Marilyn:

Michelle Williams is doing a fantastic job making a portrait of of MM.

If you have any recommendations for me, do write me a comment.