Photographic Memory

by William Claxton, Graydon Carter

Photographic Memory , Claxon's first-ever monograph of these images, features more than 100 such wonderful and revealing portraits, only a handful of which have ever been seen before. Anecdotal stories by Claxton accompanying the images reveal the intimate and first-name basis with which he photographed the well-known icons of celebrity, wit, and style from the past five decades, many of them his dear personal friends. Here for the first time Claxton describes a backstage photo session with Marlene Dietrich; antique shopping with Gloria Swanson; unwittingly provoking Shirley MacLaine into a bawdy comment on a tense, crowded film set during a love scene; and many other unforgettable moments. A stunningly intimate document of our most-loved film and entertainment icons, Claxton's Photographic Memory is sure to become an instant pop-culture heirloom.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2000