Beyond the movie magic and bleach blond waves, it is now well known that Marilyn Monroe had an intellectual side - a love of literature and a deep yearning for knowledge. As she matured, her collection of books grew into a huge library. Her favourite book was reportedly Ulysses by James Joyce.   Marilyn in Amagassett, reading her favourite book   Typecast by Hollywood, Marilyn lacked true fulfilment in the superficial and sometimes brutal world of celluloid. The movies had cemented her status as a beautiful blonde with few brains. To this day, her image is mostly associated with a kind of vapid beauty: bleach blonde hair, porcelain skin and big doe eyes. But this was merely a star...

Read entire article