Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places, and Events

From hefty biographies and fact-based novels to photograph collections and memoirs, more books have been written about Marilyn Monroe than any other female over the past century. However, no biography—regardless how authoritative—can contain all of the facts and events of an individual’s life, and Marilyn’s is no exception. In Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places, and Events, Carl Rollyson provides a documentary approach to the life and legend of this singular personality. With details of her childhood, her young adult years, her ascent to superstardom, and the hour by hour moments leading to her tragic early death, this volume supplements—and, in some cases, corrects—the accounts of previous biographies. In addition to restoring what is left out in other narratives about Marilyn’s life, this book also illuminates the gaps and discrepancies that still exist in our knowledge of her. Drawing on excerpts from her diaries, journals, letters, and even checks and receipts—as well as reports of others—Rollyson recreates the day-to-day world of a woman who still fascinates us more than fifty years after her death. In addition to the calendar, Rollyson also profiles important figures in Marilyn’s life and includes a brief biography of the actress, providing a context for the timeline. An annotated bibliography of books and websites highlights the most reliable sources about Marilyn. With its vivid recreation of the key events in her life, Marilyn Monroe Day by Day is the perfect book for fans who can’t get enough of this cultural icon.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction A Brief History of Marilyn Monroe Principal Personages Timeline Sources for Quotes Annotated Filmography Annotated Bibliography Index About the Author

About the Author :
Carl Rollyson is professor of journalism at Baruch College, The City University of New York. He has published more than forty books, including Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews (2012), Amy Lowell Anew: A Biography (2013), and American Isis: The Life and Art of Sylvia Plath (2014).

Review :
It is seldom that a book is recommended as a research tool for scholars and also leisure reading for movie star fans. However, Marilyn Monroe's life was extraordinary. It is appropriate that books on her life would also be unique, and this book is interesting and very useful at the same time. Rollyson has a rich background in producing biographies. . . .In this new book, the author makes his research materials accessible to readers. He includes a brief, well-organized, and very readable biography in which he tries to clarify the cracks and discrepancies that still exist in her life story. Also included is a descriptive listing of the significant people in her life, a detailed time line, sources for quotes, and an annotated filmography. Especially valuable for researchers is the bibliography of selected quality materials. The annotations are extensive, not only describing the contents but evaluating the importance of the resource. The book is an especially useful tool for researchers and for students studying this controversial and enigmatic woman. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers. Rollyson, author of Marilyn Monroe: A Life of the Actress (1986), provides this day-by-day chronology that suggests different aspects of Monroe’s life. The book begins with a biography and an annotated listing of principal personages; this is followed by the time line, which moves from her grandparents (1876) to her death (1962). The concise entries flow by months and years to suggest the passages in her life and give insight into her everyday interests, providing another way to view Monroe’s short life. Recommended for hard-core fans of this film icon. Author Carl Rollyson's new book Marilyn Monroe, Day by Day is a carefully researched and consistently fascinating look at the actress's life. . . .And, throughout its over 300-detailed pages, we are offered a very thorough look at Marilyn Monroe's life and career. It is too easy to dismiss books of this sort as mere trivia, but Rollyson's book does not fall under this category. The information he provides not only gives fans of Marilyn Monroe a clear understanding of the events in her life, it also helps us examine her process in choosing roles, her approach to each character, the subsequent publicity she must engage in, and her reaction to various directors and co-stars. . . .While it would seem no more could possibly be said about Marilyn Monroe, Carl Rollyson's book offers a great deal of compact information that will interest and enlighten any of her fans. Providing a year-by-year time-line of Monroe’s life, with the events of each month—and day—where known. A useful reference book for the Monroe scholar. Marilyn Monroe Day by Day is a treasure-trove of information related to all manner of Marilyn-related events. Carl Rollyson is a fantastic author and researcher and the work put into this book is nothing short of spectacular. If you want to know what show Marilyn attended on 11th January 1955, or when she did costume tests for ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ then look no further than this book. I know I will be using it on an everyday basis and it will always have a place on my bookshelf. Carl Rollyson, the first biographer to focus on Marilyn Monroe as an actress, has created a unique timeline depicting the life of an American icon. An indispensable research tool, Day By Day will clarify events from her troubled childhood onward, while dispelling some of the more pernicious myths. The woman who emerges is witty, sociable and hard-working. Rollyson also chronicles Monroe’s omnipresence in the magazines and newspapers of the day, revealing the complex interplay between image and reality. He offers sharp analysis of her cinematic legacy; deft portraits of the people who knew and loved her; and an opinionated guide to the many books published since her death. Far from closing the debate, Marilyn Monroe Day by Day sheds new light on an enduring enigma. An outstanding achievement. Carl Rollyson’s A Life of the Actress remains the definitive study of Monroe’s career. Now, in Marilyn Monroe Day by Day he presents a fascinating experiment by carefully piecing together the events of her life—day by day—to reveal a portrait of a woman who is strong, in control, and extraordinarily shrewd. The result is a riveting social document that unfolds like an adventure novel.