Will Acting Spoil Marilyn Monroe?

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.