Classic Movie Star Bios in the Thrift Store

Having too much stuff around makes me ill at ease, and yet I'm a pack rat. So I clean out my storage and buy something; it's a vicious cycle.

Yesterday I gave a box of goodies to the Salvation Army (spring cleaning, you know). While there I was inspired by the various vintage-loving blogs out there and browsed the thrift store part of the building.

They had a book section! No pack rat guilt there because I knew I'd read them, especially since the subject matter is Classic Movie Stars.

I found this:

1st edition from 1978

I confess, I have never read the notorious Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford, the apparently traumatized, adopted child of movie star Joan Crawford, but I do recall watching the Faye Dunaway film of the same name some time ago and laughing myself silly at the unintentionally funny parts of this tragic tale. ("No wire hangers!")

This was there as well:

1st edition, 1989

Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image & Self-Esteem by Elizabeth Taylor. The late 20th century is what I call Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds era, so titled because of her famous perfume commercial,which is still aired once or twice per year.

During this time, Ms.Taylor was still very much in the limelight- she had played the famous Regina Giddens role from The Little Foxes on Broadway (early '80s); she was very visible in charity work; she would be seen publicly with the then-hottest pop star Michael Jackson; and she made lovely perfume commercials (late '80s/early '90s).

Usually when a famous person writes a book that capitalizes on her weight fluctuations, it is a subject that has been much publicized and has become synonymous with her name; so the star takes pen in hand to set the record straight (and make a few bucks on the subject. Why not?).

I'm looking forward to reading these two books.