Biography & Autobiography : Entertainment & Performing Arts

Dudley Murphy (1897-1968) was one of early Hollywood's most intriguing figures. Active from the 1920s through the 1940s, Murphy was one of the industry's first independents and a guiding intelligence behind some of the key films in early twentieth-century cinema. In the first full-length biography of Murphy, Susan Delson gives full rein to an American original whose life was as audacious as his films. more...

Price: $27.95

For more than six decades Elizabeth Taylor has been a part of our lives. Now acclaimed biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli looks past the tabloid version of Elizabeth's life and offers the first-ever fully realized portrait of this American icon. You'll meet her controlling mother who plotted her daughter's success from birth...see the qualities that catapulted Elizabeth to stardom in 1940s Hollywood...understand the psychological and emotional underpinnings behind the eight marriages...and, finally, rejoice in Elizabeth's most bravura performance of all: the new success in family, friendships, and philanthropy she achieved despite substance abuse and chronic illness. It's the story of the woman you thought you knew--and now can finally understand. more...

Price: $7.99

By turns hilarious, wry, and deliciously erotic, Dale evokes the bizarre world of pornography and the people who inhabit it, and gives readers a story about finding love in the least likely of places. more...

Price: $12.95

A biography equal to the outsized personality of one of Broadway’s best-loved stars. From her breakout rendition of George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” in 1930 to her triumphant performance as Gypsy’s Mama Rose in 1959, Ethel Merman defined Broadway stardom for two generations of music lovers. Merman’s singing voice—brassy, penetrating, and undeniably American—has transcended genre and era to become a cultural icon. As an entertainer she burned with unstoppable energy. Offstage she was the original diva, a woman who knew what she wanted and brooked no interference. Her spats and frequently off-color zingers have become part of theater lore. In this entertaining and authoritative biography, Brian Kellow traces Merman’s life from her childhood in Queens, New York, through her three decades at the peak of Broadway celebrity. In an era dominated by outsized personalities and egos, none was more vibrant and powerful than Merman’s, yet beneath the tough-dame image was an enormously vulnerable and often lonely woman. Kellow’s book, which includes recollections from more than 120 of Merman’s friends, colleagues, and family members, stands as the definitive biography and an affectionate portrait of an unforgettable star. Fans of Broadway history and of the great Ethel Merman will find Kellow’s biography an irresistible read. more...

Price: $25.95

In his twenty years on the radio, the mononymous Lionel (“one name, like God,” as he is fond of saying) has forged his reputation as an irreverent, ribald, take-no-prisoners analyst of culture, politics, and the world at large. Now America’s favorite contrarian takes to the page with this hilarious user’s guide to our country and culture. In Everyone’s Crazy Except You and Me … And I’m Not So Sure About You, Lionel offers a collection of hilarious and insightful observations on life, liberty, and the pursuit of alien life forms. From the sublime (Why do so many of us believe in God?) to the ridiculous (Why did he run over his sister’s hair with the vacuum cleaner?), Lionel takes his readers on a riotous ride through his world, and ours. A former prosecutor, Lionel examines our greatest national oxymoron—criminal justice. He hates hate crimes, and argues against drug criminalization and the Son of Sam laws. He’s also an indefatigable defender of the First Amendment who nevertheless believes that men shouldn’t drink mojitos or wear socks with sandals. And lest you think he just picks on the Right, rest assured that Lionel has plenty to say about Lefties, Centrists, and even barristas. No subject is off limits here. No group is immune—not conservatives, not women, and especially not American Homo sapiens. Consider these imponderables:. Why today’s acrobatic professional wrestler is inferior to the beer-bellied hulk of the sixties. Why Hazmat suits are worn more than once, but not wedding gowns. Why women can’t tell jokes. Why you should never drink anything you can’t spell. An infectious, irresistible, and possibly persuasive book that is bound to entertain and inform, Everyone’s Crazy Except You and Me … And I’m Not So Sure About You is the perfect read for anyone who questions the state of our national mental health. Void where prohibited by law. more...

Price: $18.95