BOOK REVIEW BY DAVID MARSHALL

Even though today is December 14, thereís still a wee bit oí time to place this one on your Christmas wish list. If youíre like me then you like Marilyn Monroe in pretty much any shape or form. So what a great idea to devote an entire book to Marilynís magazine covers-- not only is the book 158 pages of color cover reproductions, this will give you yet another excuse to spend untold hours at the computer trying to find new covers to collect-- and who doesnít need yet another excuse to sit in front of a computer, mesmerized by the quest to find just one more picture of Marilyn?

 The one draw back to the book would have to be the foreword-- written by none other than Mamie Van Doren. Yep, the star of such cinematic epics as ìGirls, Guns and Gangstersî and ìVoyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Womenî picks up her pen and fills us in on her thoughts on Kidderís book as well as the woman you know darn well sheíd have given her eyeteeth to be-- Marilyn Monroe. To be completely honest, the foreword is rather sweet but if it were up to me, the names Van Doren, Mansfield and Carman would never be uttered in the same breath as Monroe.

 But thatís not the reason youíd want to own the book. That reason would be the page after page of great color reproductions of just a sampling of the billion and two magazine covers Marilyn appeared on in her all too brief career. From the very Norma Jeane as Model start to the final Marilyn Monroe as the Ultimate Movie Star, ìCover to Coverî provides a chronological review of that wonderfully expressive, incredibly beautiful face, month after month, year after year.

 And weíre not talking just American fan magazines. I would imagine Marilyn appeared on the cover of a magazine from just about every country on the globe and each are represented here. And if you are as anal as me, another great reason for the book is that Kidder provides the date of issue on each cover so you can use the book as a great reference tool once you start your own online collection. Plus-- nearly every cover has comment by Kidder explaining the significance of the photo or better yet, a quote from Marilyn herself.

 I tell you, this is the type of book that will make those who donít quite get why youíre so enthralled by this woman roll their eyes and treat you very condescendingly. But really, at this point-- who cares what they think as long as they buy it for you for Christmas? And while theyíre chuckling under their breath at how obsessed youíve become, you can ignore them completely and just go page by page indulging yourself. And thatís a GREAT Christmas gift in my opinion!