James Dean

I've only very recently become attuned to the talent and legacy of James Dean; I have heard of him all my life, but never really "got" it until I was old enough to understand his movies (and finally saw them all at age 23). Needless to say, after viewing "East of Eden" and being moved to tears by his performance, I rushed to buy any biography I could lay my hands on, eager to learn more about this talented young man. This book by George Perry is a wonderful one; not only does it offer informative and interesting information on Dean's life and personality, from his earliest Indiana days to his eventual New York City life and all the way up to Hollywood, the book also features the best photos I've ever seen of Dean. There are intimate, large, glossy photos of James Dean clowning around with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, and other friends, and there are the more iconic photos of Dean strolling around New York City. James Dean had the looks of an angel fallen to Earth, and the beauty and personliaty that shine through some of these photos took my breath away. Of course, it's a bit difficult to see the pictures of Dean's crushed car and the scene of the accident that took his life, and even more difficult to read about the circumstances, and how it was error largely on the part of the other driver, who failed to notice Dean's oncoming car (who had the right of way), and stopped, lurched forward, stopped and then lurched forward again right into Dean's Porsche. It's horrifying. This book allowed me to learn so much more about James Dean, who was a young man who was immensely talented, deeply passionate, fun-loving and insightful; I also learned that people either loved him or hated him; he, doubtless, could be moody and difficult, but those who knew him the best such as Nick Adams, Dennis Hopper, Bill Bast, Liz Taylor, etc., loved him and cherished him not only as a talented actor, but as their friend. Fascinating Fact: you know the woman who plays Jerry Seinfeld's mom on "Senfield"? She was James Dean's first serious girlfriend in his NYC days!!! Can you believe it? Liz Sheridan dated James Dean!! You'll see her picture in this book, it's incredible, I never knew that. What a small world. This biography allows you to form your own opinion of Jimmy Dean; I still don't know him, but I think I have an idea of him now, and that's what matters to me. The only sad aspect, is that now I have a true sense of what the world lost on September 30th, 1955, and I can't help the ache in my chest when I watch his work now; I wish he'd stayed around longer because I can honestly say, no other actor has ever touched me so deeply. Hell, I've never run out and purchased a biography on anybody before unless I had to for a book report; however, I've devoured three Dean biographies in about two weeks. What does that tell you?

Very Nice Book, got for my Mothers Birthday

A great book for James Dean fans! The photos are great, the stories are wonderful with much new info. I also like the fact that it's authorized by the James Dean estate, so you know it's not a "trash tabloid " biography. Glad it's in hardcover because this one is a keeper l

book was sent as a gift & was recieved as a great book about James Dean

We ordered this book on a Sunday night in the evening, and we recieved it on Tuesday (which was xmas eve). We got this book cause our good friend is a REALLY big fan of James Dean. Flipping through the book, interested me, and I'm not a die hard fan. There's a lot of black and white pictures, pictures never published before, from all stages of his life. There's also, stories never published either, in all stages of his life. The book is "paperback," but the cover is pretty thick. It would definitely make a great coffee table book or bathroom reader. We were pleased with our purchase. Hope our friend loves it!

If you're a fan of James Dean, this is probably the best book you could get. It's a much more personal look at the real James Dean and there's family photos that you can't see anywhere else. I enjoyed a lot of the quotes, photos, and insight into the real James Dean.

I got this as a gift for one of my best friends who is obsessed with James Dean. She really enjoyed it - the high resolution photographs are stunning and the book seems to strike a good balance between information and amazing photographs from his life. She was really pleased with her gift, so I'm pleased with my purchase.

Awesome book and many cool pictures!