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Pour yourself a glass of eggnog and cozy up in your most delicious cable knit sweater, because it is officially the holiday season! Every year the holidays seem to creep up on me and I find myself scrambling to make my list and check it twice, ensuring I thoughtfully select the perfect gift for each of my loved ones.
However, one of my favorite foolproof gifts of choice is a carefully selected book. They’re thoughtful, personal, and depending on the selection, can also act as a chic piece of decor when added to a bookshelf or displayed on a coffee table. I love reading biographies and autobiographies alike. I joyfully lose myself as I journey through life in someone else’s footsteps. Here are my most enjoyable reads and giftable books for classic film lovers.
My Way Of Life by Joan Crawford
For anyone who is a fan of this polarizing Hollywood icon, Joan Crawford’s My Way of Life is the pick for you. While many of us are met with disturbing images of “Mommy Dearest” at the mere mention of Joan’s name, hearing about her life from her own perspective is a unique and interesting journey. From tips on how to throw the perfect dinner party, to etiquette and makeup lessons, peppered with tales from her own life, this book (equal parts memoir and guide) is sure to give a lens into Joan Crawford’s life unlike any other biography out there. The drama she brings to the screen, she also brought to her personal life and her grandiosity is pure entertainment.
One reviewer says it best: Joan at her bonkers best. If you are having a dinner party, Joan suggests you invite a Hollywood starlet and an artist with a beard. OK Joan, whatever you say.
Purchase your own copy here!
Miss D and Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis by Kathryn Sermak with Danielle Morton
For a behind-the-scenes look at the inimitable Bette Davis, look no further than Miss D and Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis. Written by Bette Davis’ employee-turned-close-friend Kathryn Sermak, this book chronicles Bette’s final years while paying homage to the genuine, loyal woman she was. Ms. Sermak was 23 and a hopeful actress when she was hired by Ms. Davis to be her personal assistant. She remained by her side until Bette died of breast cancer in 1989. She saw her through the biggest heartache of her life: her daughter’s tell-all book My Mother’s Keeper.
Miss D and Me is an engrossing portrait of a woman who was flawed, sometimes volatile, but always full of life and hungry for more.
Purchase your copy Here.
3. MM–Personal: From the Private Archive of Marilyn Monroe by Lois Banner and Mark Anderson
While there are many books about Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, this top-rated pick by historian Lois Banner and photographer Mark Anderson is unique in its unveiling of the mundane aspects of Marilyn’s life. Packed with never-before-seen photos, notes, and memorabilia, this book reveals the private sides of Marilyn’s character in a way all its own. The minute details of her life, voyeuristic as they may be, take her off the suffocating pedestal and invite us to see her as a real person. When you peek at her personal letters, receipts, and shopping lists, it’s hard to deny that she dealt with ordinary life like the rest of us. Was it the chasm between the Goddess she was expected to be and the real person she was, that caused her to fall?
With its beautiful photos, this book is not only a treat to read, but also makes a lovely table-topper (since we are talking holiday gifts after all:)
Purchase yours Here.
4. Self Portrait by Gene Tierney with Mickey Herskowitz
Written by Gene Tierney herself, Self Portrait gives an in-depth look at her tragic, turbulent life from her own perspective. Gene boldly reveals the raw, honest truth of battling her inner-demons: the humanizing, unglamorous moments that happened off-camera. Though her screen persona was delicate and cool, in real life she was honest and vulnerable. In an interview from 1979 with Dick Cavett, she bravely revealed her struggle with mental illness, without a hint of shame. For anyone who loves Gene’s body of work, this is a must-read, showing Gene Tierney in a refreshing, real way. Pick up your copy Here.
5. A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True by Victoria Wilson
For Fans of Barbara Stanwyck, A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True is required reading. Victoria Wilson dazzled readers by extensively researching Barbara Stanwyck’s life and the mark she left on Hollywood through her films. Ranging from her early days in pre-code Hollywood films such as Baby Face, to the pinnacle of her career and her television days as Victoria Barkley on The Big Valley, this book gives a multidimensional view of Barbara Stanwyck both on and off-camera, approaching the subject from an empathetic, human angle. Victoria Wilson pays homage to Barbara’s loyalty, beautiful imperfections and grit, while carefully informing readers of the many intricacies of her life. Pick up your copy Here.
6. Ava Gardner: Love Is Nothing by Lee Server
Packed with personal anecdotes told by those closest to her, Lee Server’s Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing is sure to wow any Ava Gardner fan. Described by The New York Times as “seductive” and “enthralling”, this book gives a 360-degree view of Ava Gardner, from her glamorous life onscreen to her tumultuous behind-the-scenes life as well. It tells the tale of Ava Gardner as both a temptress of the silver screen and a flawed woman caught up in several high-profile whirlwind love affairs while battling her own inner-turmoil. Purchase it Here.
7. By Myself and Then Some by Lauren Bacall
For fans of the ever-graceful two-time Tony winner, Lauren Bacall’s memoir By Myself and Then Some is the perfect pick. This is one of my favorite celebrity autobios; it is dense, involving, and a great read. Not only did it win a National Book Award, but in telling her own story, Bacall divulges tales of her fabulous friendships with Hollywood’s elite (Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Leonard Bernstein), as well as digs into her marriage to the beloved Humphrey Bogart and her love affair with Frank Sinatra (who broke her heart). Witty, self-deprecating and honest, she generously takes readers on a journey through the inner-workings of her life, celebrating both the good and the bad. Pick up your copy Here.
8. Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman
Rounding out this list, we have Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman. A film historian and acclaimed biographer, Eyman writes the engrossing tale of this legendary actor. Lauded for the empathetic yet critical approach Eyman takes to telling this tale, he touches on the difficult, broken home Cary Grant (then known as Archie Leach) escaped from in order to reinvent himself and become the elegant, charismatic man we’ve all grown to adore for decades. Get your very own copy so you too can go to bed with Cary Grant, Here.
Whether you gift these books to others or to yourself, here’s to warming up by the fireplace this holiday season and appreciating these stars in their glorious complexities, both onscreen and between the pages of these beautifully-written biographies.
For more posts on classic film stars, check out my blog page on Old Hollywood.
I can’t wait to get reading for next year’s round-up!
