Marilyn Monroe’s Personally Owned Copy of Great Stars of the American Stage

From the personal library of Marilyn Monroe, this copy of Great Stars of the American Stage by Daniel Blum was a deeply personal gift from Paula Strasberg, Monroe’s trusted acting teacher, mentor, and confidante. The book is warmly inscribed in Strasberg’s hand:

“For Marilyn / With my love and admiration / Paula S / May 29–1956.”

The date of the inscription is especially meaningful. May 29, 1956 marks the day Marilyn completed filmings scenes on location in Idaho for Bus Stop, the performance widely regarded as her first true dramatic triumph and a turning point in her career. Under Strasberg’s guidance, Monroe approached the role of Chérie not as a screen persona, but as a serious actress committed to emotional truth and craft. The inscription captures a moment of mutual respect between teacher and student at a time when Marilyn had proven, both to herself and to the industry, the depth of her talent.

The Library of Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe’s personal library comprised more than 400 volumes spanning an extraordinary range of subjects, a testament to both her intelligence and her deeply curious nature. For those who truly know Monroe, this breadth comes as no surprise. These were the books of a serious and inquisitive reader. Literature, art, drama, biography, poetry, politics, history, theology, philosophy, and psychology lined the shelves of her home.

Among the first editions were her own copies of defining twentieth-century works, including Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and William Styron’s This House on Fire. From Tolstoy to Twain, her library embraced the great voices of world literature, with titles such as The Great Gatsby, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, James Joyce’s Dubliners, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and Albert Camus’s The Fall. Alongside these classics were books on gardening, multiple Bibles, and beloved children’s stories, including her personal copy of The Little Engine That Could.

The volumes in Monroe’s library remained in their original bindings, most commonly cloth or paper wrappers, and were preserved in good condition. Many retain intimate traces of her engagement with the text, including pencil markings, annotations, inserted bookmarks, and loose slips of paper.

Every book sold from Marilyn Monroe’s library at the landmark 1999 Christie’s auction bears a posthumous bookplate identifying its provenance. Proceeds from the sale benefited Literacy Partners, extending Monroe’s lifelong commitment to reading and self-education beyond her own lifetime.