The unseen Letters and Photographs

Through the words and photographs of celebrated photographer Sam Shaw, Dear Marilyn offers newly discovered correspondence and never-before-seen images of the most famous woman Hollywood ever created.

Dear Marilyn offers a fresh perspective on the life of the most famous woman Hollywood ever created. Through Shaw's stunning photographs of Monroe—taken by her close friend and confidant, the photographer, journalist, and filmmaker Sam Shaw—this book brings Marilyn Monroe to life in a spectacular celebration of her birth centenary. In Shaw's own voice, through his diary entries and intimate correspondence with Monroe, we discover their close friendship and an insider's view spanning her rise to fame, the challenges she faced, and her quest for artistic authenticity. For the first time, Shaw also recounts the origin story of his iconic "skirt-blowing" series from The Seven Year Itch. Stunning digitally restored photographs from original 1940s-1960s archive material include some of the most famous images ever taken of Monroe: from behind-the-scenes of The Seven Year Itch to candid shots of her on the streets of New York and in love on the Amagansett beach. Featuring never-before-seen images, Shaw's work favors improvisation and captures Marilyn Monroe at her most spontaneous and radiant. "Marilyn was born out of her time, yet became a superstar, a myth, and a legend." —Sam Shaw