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Lucille Ball Treasures: Featuring Memorabilia and Photos

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Enjoy a fascinating tribute to the queen of comedy with the photos and memorabilia in Lucille Ball Treasures .

Lucille Ball came into most people’s lives with the beloved classic I Love Lucy , one of the most successful television shows in history. But her story really begins with a small-town girl, working hard to make ends meet, who hits the gritty New York streets to break into the movie business. In this lushly illustrated, large-format book , learn about her struggles, her wins, and the achievements she gained well ahead of her time.

Celebrating her warmth, grit, and spirit, Lucille Ball Treasures features behind-the-scenes stories and a pocket at the back with a trove of removable reproductions of ephemera,
 
Lucille Ball Treasures honors the woman who, to this day, makes us smile and continues to inspire generations of fans.

176 pages, Hardcover

Published November 7, 2023

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13 people want to read

About the author

Cindy de la Hoz

32 books8 followers

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Kaye.
4,359 reviews73 followers
September 22, 2023
This is an informative, easy to read, short (under 200 pages) biography of Lucille Ball. The story beings with her birth and family in Jamestown, NY. Because Lucy was always famous during my lifetime but it took 20 years of hard work before she became a household name. I’ve read other biographies and watched salutes to this star so not much is new here. The books is laid out well and the highlight to me are the photos. This isn’t a tell all and although Desi’s cheating is mentioned and the red scare there is nothing scandalous. What stood out to me is that Lucy was a loyal friend and co-star and wonderful at creating lifelong friendships starting with her early days in Hollywood. For fans are those who want to know a bit more about this comedic legend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Chartwell Books for the temporary ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. This appears to be a re-release of a book previously published in 2011.
Profile Image for Anne Marie.
334 reviews8 followers
October 1, 2023
This has to be one of the best Lucille Ball books I have ever read! All the pictures and I learned more about her than I ever knew.
If you are a fan or know someone who is I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy from Netgalley for my honest review
Profile Image for Steph.
99 reviews3 followers
January 3, 2026
Loved the beautiful images of Lucy. The book itself was good for the kind of book it is. I’d prefer to read her actual biography/memoir over this but like I said the images were just gorgeous!
Profile Image for Tamela Gordon.
113 reviews31 followers
October 16, 2023
I'm a big Lucille Ball fan who's used to being disappointed. The three aspects that the media often focuses on tend to be the least interesting about the Hollywood icon: her marriage to Desi Arnaz, "I Love Lucy," and being an older actress in the industry. "Lucille Ball Treasures" avoids the pitfalls in past Ball bios by centering on Lucille Ball, the tenacious talent, not just the star of the namesake sitcom.

I knew her beginnings were humble, but I didn't realize she was her family's breadwinner. It was inspiring to learn that, even while taking in the industry and failing to capitalize off a "big break," she was successful enough to provide for herself and her family. As an actor gearing up to get back into "the business," I loved reading about Ball's climb up the A-list ladder. There's a lot of valuable information covered about Hollywood standards and politics.

By the time "I Love Lucy" hit the silver screen, Lucille Ball was already forty years old and had been performing for more than two decades!

The book is filled with breathtaking photos, many of which I'd never seen before. Paired with the timeline of the biography, it sometimes felt as though the words and images aligned to tell a deeper, more textured story. "Lucille Ball Treasures" illuminates the impact that Lucille Ball left on the industry, as well as the ways that she and Desi Arnaz innovated thirty-minute situation comedy.

This book doesn't come out until 10/21/2023, but I've already pre-ordered my copy. It's a great coffee table book and you don't have to be a diehard fan to appreciate the writing and photographs.
Profile Image for J Earl.
2,341 reviews112 followers
December 7, 2023
Lucille Ball Treasures by Cindy De La Hoz is an attractive large format book, ideal for display, as well as a nice overview of her life and, primarily, career.

If you've read any of her biographies, or her autobiography, there isn't much new here. But that isn't really the point of the book anyway. The biography is more like a skeleton around which the body of the book, the many photographs, is assembled. If you happen to only know Ball from one portion of her life this is an excellent introduction to the complete human being.

While the controversies and troubles are mentioned, there is no sensationalism, everything is in service to presenting the arc of her life along with a photographic record of that life. Even if you've read some of the biographies and have been a fan since the early 60s (like me) you will still be surprised when a picture or a description reminds you of something you might have forgotten.

A number of books, this one included, have begun including pouches with removable replicas of memorabilia, which makes a physical copy of the book that much more essential for big fans.

In addition to readers who are fans, this is also a fun book for anyone with an interest in the movie industry during the time of the studio system or those interested in the early years of television.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
42 reviews6 followers
September 24, 2023
Release Date: November 7, 2023

📖📖📖📖

“I'm not funny. What I am is brave.” -Lucy

Lucille Ball came into most people’s lives with the beloved classic I Love Lucy, one of the most successful television shows in history. But her story really begins with a small-town girl, working hard to make ends meet, who hits the gritty New York streets to break into the movie business.

The world loves lucy. This book is a light look at her life and what a powerful and courageous women she was. The books is laid out well and the highlight to me are the photos. This isn’t a tell all and although Desi’s cheating is mentioned and the red scare there is nothing scandalous. What stood out to me is that Lucy was a loyal friend and co-star and wonderful at creating lifelong friendships starting with her early days in Hollywood.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#lucilleball #lucilleballtreasures #cindydelahoz #chartwellbooks #bookreview #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagram #bookworm #booknerd #booktok #bookrecommendations #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookblogger #igreads #goodreads #bookclub #bookreviews #bookbloggersofinstagram
Profile Image for Cassie The Ghost.
247 reviews12 followers
November 27, 2023
I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

First and foremost, I've always loved Lucille Ball from watching reruns of 'I Love Lucy' for a better part of my life and found so much fascination with how well Lucille did her comedy timing down to a science. This book was very intriguing read, some information I did already know through other documentaries but I absolutely loved the little snapshots of each time in her life to go along with the segment and the different moments in her life were a nice glimpse into the person herself. I had a lot of fun reading this and would recommend to anyone interested in reading about her.

My Rating: 4 Stars
Profile Image for Kris.
201 reviews
November 11, 2023
Everyone knows Lucy -- and Lucy shows are such a generational bridge that I had to stop and get this book immediately when I saw this book come up. It was a love letter to Lucille Ball and her career and cared for as Lucille would have liked -- bad things happen but hard work will continue to overcome whatever problems arise, looking at the bright side, keep on keeping on. It didn't gloss over the bad things but it didn't dwell on them either. I loved this and love seeing how everything from fashion to advertising changed over the course of her career.

#arc
#netgalley
#lucilleballtreasures
#welovelucy
Profile Image for AnnieM.
481 reviews29 followers
November 9, 2023
I have always been a huge fan of Lucille Ball so was thrilled to get this beautiful book that has an incredibly compelling layout. There are many beautiful photos and one-sheets (movie posters) from her career as well as family photos. I had listened to podcasts about her so knew some of the information, but I was very impressed with how well written and concise this book is yet still covers a lot of territory. A beautiful book that honors the legacy of Lucille Ball.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Chartwell Books for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Mrs. Hall.
16 reviews3 followers
January 13, 2025
This book focused more on Lucy's acting career. It included snippets of her personal life, but that was not the main focus. It was interesting to read in great detail about her journey to fame. I loved the extra memorabilia and photos included in the back. These would be great to pin up on a bulletin board or even frame some of the photos. Anyone who loves Lucy will love this book.
Profile Image for Jessica Royer.
2 reviews
January 11, 2026
From a young age I have been intrigued with the life of Lucille Ball! I started watching I Love Lucy at the age of 8 with my grandma. I became an instant life long fan! This book is beautifully done! I enjoyed the set up of each chapter and the photography that went along with the entire book. Lucy paved the way!! She left an amazing legacy! ❤️
Profile Image for Dwayna Harrison .
101 reviews4 followers
September 28, 2023
My love for Lucille Ball began as a child. I Love Lucy was my favorite show and it is still one of my favorite comfort shows to re-watch again and again. This collection was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the images and reading it. I will be purchasing a copy for my collection.
Profile Image for Ceylan (CeyGo).
854 reviews
October 4, 2023
I really only know Lucille Ball from The I Love Lucy Show. This beautiful book covers her life from beginning to end, and she was so much more than that.. The book at approx 200 pages is the perfect length and is filled with gorgeous photos of Ms Ball through the years
Profile Image for Brandi.
92 reviews3 followers
October 24, 2023
I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

What a fun and endearing book about Lucille Ball.

The photos and page layouts are what make this book so special…just look at that book cover!
Profile Image for Vnunez-Ms_luv2read.
899 reviews27 followers
September 17, 2023
Very good book with pictures. Perfect for a Lucy fan. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.
Profile Image for Kerrific Kerr.
460 reviews10 followers
December 11, 2023
A very fun book about one of my favorites from the screen. I just loved all the photos that were included also. Great for any fan or collector.
23 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2025
Very enjoyable read about the Lucille Ball BEFORE “I Love Lucy” that I never knew about. Now I have a whole list of her movies I’d like to see.
Profile Image for Melanie.
1,022 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2023
This is an entertaining run-through of Lucille Ball's life. It includes incredible photographs of Lucy's early life, married life with Desi, their children, and her later life, and details interesting stories and anecdotes.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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