Share-A-Book Saturday (15)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend Shirley Temple: A Pictorial History of the World's Greatest Child Star by Rita Dubas.

Shirley Temple was a phenomenon, a child star whose talent and personality earned her a permanent place in Hollywood history. The extraordinary six-year-old entertainer struck a chord with audiences all over the globe. Her career sparked a marketing sensation, spurring the production of anything and everything bearing her image - from dolls to tin whistles - in all corners of the globe, both authorized and unauthorized. Despite the decades-long interest in everything Temple, never before has there been a lavishly illustrated art book examining the phenomenon that was Shirley Temple as a child star in the 1930s. Many of the rare and unusual Shirley Temple collectibles have never been featured in print. Along with an informal, concise history of the childhood career of Ms. Temple (featuring film stills, many never-before-seen photographs, and personal snapshots of Shirley as well as several taken by her), this book is a visual treat befitting the magic of the most famous child star of all time, as well as the Golden Age of Hollywood. (Product description from Amazon.com.)

I've been a fan of Shirley Temple for years. I've seen most of her movies and know the lyrics to almost all the songs. I've read her autobiography, Child Star, which is very interesting. But this photo-heavy book by Rita Dubas is one of my favourite books about the little star of the 1930s.

Rita Dubas used to have a website where she'd share photos of Shirley Temple memorabilia from her collection. The site is gone now, but much of what was on it ended up in this beautiful book. There are some rare photographs of Shirley herself, along with tons of information about the various Shirley Temple merchandise that was produced over the years: dolls, clothing, books, pins... Shirley Temple was a phenomenon, the likes of which we haven't seen since.

This book makes a great gift (I received it for Christmas a few years ago). Even those who are unfamiliar with most of Temple's films would probably enjoy looking through the book. The layout is gorgeous, and flipping through this one is a treat.