Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer Hardcover – Illustrated, October 5, 2010

This much-awaited volume on Miss Head is an absolutely beautiful volume. I waited years to have a colossal book on her costumes much more than more information on her life which is available in other volumes.While the book itself is a magnificent production, including the graphics, layout, photography and cover fabric, there are a few aspects that go wanting, but do not detract from anything but the highest recommendation.I find that the pictorial coverage is most stingy with her designs for The Ten Commandments, even though the picture of Anne Baxter's elegant and stylized portrayal of Nefretiri is captured by the one and only photograph devoted to this motion picture.Of special note is that despite the computer and editorial staff, the text which is sufficient except again for The Ten Commandments, has numerous spelling, syntactical, and possibly typographical errors. While I think nobody can attest to any accuracy regarding her early years, nor certain facts regarding her most personal interior life, the text is informative, and not burdensome in presentation of her typical daily activities. It is to the point!It is especially a noteworthy book because we are treated to photography that we have never seen in other books about this most highly-acclaimed and most sensitive artist. While one may find that she may have been highly protective of her billing and her Oscars, one understands that it was out of necessity, due both to her formulative years and instinct to guard and protect her artistry. Had she not guarded her designs, one can only imagine that the system in which she worked could have concealed her rightful acknowledgements.I applaud both Edith Head for giving so many of us such magnificent pleasure over so many decades, and for the author and staff who made this book happen.Ray W. ClarkeCleveland & Palm Beach

Take some time in reading this tome. Tons of information and back stories. Juicy gossip and personalities galore. Beautiful coffee table book too.

Very informative and interesting

My interest in photography began in my high school years when my father gave me an old 3¼" 4¼" folding camera that used sheet film at which time I started looking for photo ideas in magazines that were available to me; LIFE, of course was a great source for anyone interested in photojournalism. CORONET, published in Chicago, was a magazine that I would call a Readers Digest for intellectuals. It featured a big photo section with work from some of the top photographers of that period whose work was of salon quality but sadly printed on uncoated stock. Among which were female nudes, very tasteful, by such masters as Erwin Blumenfeld, Hurrell, Don Wallace, and McSherry-Powles to name a few. (Photos devoted to the other arts were printed on glossy, coated stock.) The nudes were interspersed among scenics, portraits, and "artsy-stuff" from all over the world. Naturally I gravitated to the female nudes. I studied the lighting used and tried to visualize and develop my own sense of lighting. I turned to women's fashion magazines where I could find the absolute best photography available from the pages of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. I didn't know it but the fashion photography world was undergoing a revolutionary change when the photographers left their studios and did their work out on the streets of great cities as New York, Paris, London and far afield to remote locations. Today we take such images for granted.Along the way I got my hand on some Hollywood film magazines where I was introduced to the art of the studio publicity still photos which featured the best images of the stars working at that time. I never went to the movies often and much later when I did see some of the vintage films I became acquainted with Edith Head and her work. I thought she was bizarre with her severe look, her carefully coiffed hair and her dark glasses; later I realized this was probably intentionally done to make her stand out. I also saw a short film on her career which fuelled my interest even more.When this book was announced, I immediately and ordered it from Amazon, read it cover to cover when I got it and it is now a permanent addition to my library. The most important feature of the book to me is the quality of the photos. They are the best because they had to pass the approval of the studios publicity department; BUT, in this book there are no defects in the photos that one sometimes finds in even to most pricey "coffee table" books. The overall quality of the book is as good as that of the photos, even down to such nice touches as using silk screen printing on the dust jacket, something that most people wouldn't even notice.I recommend this book to any one interested in fashion, or photography, and especially to those of you who want to know more about this interesting and talented woman.

Great book packed with gorgeous photos and a wonderful bio of one of the greatest designers in Hollywood history. Superb addition to any Hollywood book collection!

I had seen this book advertised for $75 on Turner Classic Movies. I am so glad Amazon had it for almost half the price. While it is stunning and beautiful, the content is a bit bland. I was hoping for juicy old Hollywood tales and instead got dry pieces of information on Edith Head's life instead of the stars. While she had an unusual life, I don't know if there is enough fun content to make it a compelling book of this size. The photos and files from old Hollywood make it worth the cost for a pretty coffee table book. If you are purchasing it as a good read, I would pass.

Edith Head set the standard in Hollywood for costume Design. A fashion standard that rippled across everyday clothing. Edith dressed some of the worlds greatest movie stars. She set the standard for fashion today. she was a trend setter way before her time. If you want to know what it was like back in the golden age of Hollywood and want to understand fashion or if you are a clothing designer or are in the fashion industry, this is a must have book. This should be in your personal book collection so that when the people that run in your circle notice you know who Edith Head was, it will speak volumes about who you are.

Beautiful coffee table book.