Marilyn Monroe’s BookshelfAn Annotated Bibliography

By Carly Maris

Let’s Make LoveBy Matthew Andrews, based on the screenplay by Norman Krasna

Bibliographic Information

Andrews, Matthew. Let’s Make Love. Bantam Books, 1960.

Let’s Make Love is the novelization of the movie of the same title, starring Marilyn Monroe. The book and movie both are about a billionaire named Jean-Marc Clément, who pretends to be an actor to learn about a production that is going to satirize him. During auditions he meets Amanda Dell, played by Marilyn Monroe, and falls in love. The book version is narrated through perspectives of three different characters (including Jean-Marc and Amanda), however the majority of the book is told from the perspective of a side-character in the movie, Alexander Coffman known as Coffee. Coffee works for Jean-Marc, and has to navigate the media, other employees of Jean-Marc, and the members of the theatrical production in order to keep his boss’ identity a secret.

The book was published in July, 1960 by Bantam books, a subsidiary to Penguin Random House. The book was published in advance of the film’s release date of September 8, 1960. The original cost of the book was $0.35 USD.

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Author

Biographic Details

Name: Norman Krasna

Birth: November 7, 1909

Death: November 1, 1984

Screenplays (selected):

• Let’s Make Love (1960)

• The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)

• White Christmas (1952)

• Princess O’Rourke (1943)

• The Flame of New Orleans (1941)

• The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)

T here is no bibliographic information available for Matthew Andrews, the

byline author, and it is possible this is a pseudonym. The original screenplay was written by Norman Krasna, who likewise owned the copyright for the book.

Norman Krasna was nominated for an Academy Award four times during his career, winning one in 1943 for Princess O’Rourke. He also was one of three screenwriters for the classic holiday film White Christmas.

Matthew Andrews & Norman Krasna

INTERESTING FACT: Marilyn Monroe’s husband at the time, playwright Arthur Miller, is also given a screenwriting credit for Let’s Make Love.

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About The Book

Quote From Book “Diamond bracelets were not good enough for Amanda. He needed a heart as pure and honest as hers.”

-Page 94

Sold at Christie’s auction for $17,250 in 1999, and the photographs appears to have been in remarkably good condition for a paperback book. There was only one edition of this book, which (like many of the book editions owned by Marilyn Monroe) is currently out of print.

Marilyn’s Book

Photographs are of Carly Maris’ copy

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Book Details

First Page Back CoverTitle Page

Photographs are of Carly Maris’ copy

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