Marilyn Monroe’s personal library: an epic reading list

Marilyn Monroe was an avid reader. Books were a huge part of her life. In 1999, Christie’s staged an auction of her belongings, including her books. The list of the books from her shelves, published by the Booktryst blog several years ago, reveals the actress had an epic personal library, stretching across numerous genres.

There are more than 400 titles on the list. Some are famous and still read today, some are now forgotten. The books appear to show a well-rounded person interested in fiction and non-fiction, and a deep appreciation of fine writing and books that challenge the reader to understand people and the world around them.

The list came to our attention after we heard about the Pinup Book Club, a community dedicated to reading the books from Monroe’s personal library, and also appreciating pinup culture.

Each month, members read a different book from Marilyn’s library, which includes art, biographies, classical works, gardening and pets, literature, plays, religion, and much more.

Carly Maris is the founder of the Pinup Book Club, which operates mostly via Instagram. Carly joined us for an AbeBooks podcast interview to discuss the origins of the club, and the challenges and joys of reading a library from the 1950s. Obviously, Marilyn, who was photographed reading on numerous occasions, featured heavily in our discussion.