Dietrich: Style and Substance - Hardcover

Marlene Dietrich's style is favored over substance in this hagiography by the author (with Bryan Hammond) of Josephine Baker (Bulfinch Pr: Little, Brown, 1991). Dietrich's life history is briefly recapitulated in O'Connor's text, but most of the book consists of photographs--some carefully posed, some candid, and others somewhere in between. In many of the candids, Dietrich looks unattractive, but O'Connor addresses the point glancingly, if at all. According to the dust jacket copy, O'Connor "first saw Marlene Dietrich perform . . . in 1964 and waited until 1 a.m. to get her autograph." This example of a fan's tribute may be suitable for some coffee tables but not many libraries.
- John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.