The subject of "Celebrity" is of universal timeless appeal. We all desire immortality and fame is the modern way to go about it. The wisdom about doing so in these pages is as inconsistent and varied as the human mind, yet like vanity, it's a mirror of others looking back onto ourselves. Montague was the first to write down his inner thoughts, he coined the term "essay", coincidentally around the same time as the Reformation when the old Christian ideas of immortality were being destroyed and replaced by the secular idea of celebrity. Today with the Internet - Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, blogs - we are all famous, it's the modern religion.

As usual this issue contains many thought provoking excerpts from great authors, beautiful images, witty quotes, insightful info-graphics and pithy biographies - not to mention 5 or 6 original essays by scholars and authors, it's a generous and fun magazine worth saving next to the classic books. Some of my favorite excerpts include David Samules "Shooting Britany" (2008) about the evolving paparazzi scene in Hollywood during the 2000's, when armies of low-skilled low-paid foreigners spend weeks waiting in various spots for a possible picture of a passing star. Bob Dylan in Chronicles Vol.1 (2004) describes how he led a normal happy family life while appearing eccentric and artsy to the press and fans. Joan Didion from The White Album (1979) recounts a scene when she was with The Doors in a recording studio and offering an insight into the bands music as "love was sex and sex was death therein lay salvation". Truman Capote from "Beautiful Child" recounts a morning with Marilyn Monroe in 1955, as he accompanied her to a funeral at a chapel. Monroe's deep insecurity and vulnerability clash with her redneck background and ruthless self importance.

Frederick Treves from The Elephant Man (1923) recounts how tragically the eponymous man was abused, unable to talk or even leave his room for fear of attack in the streets of London, yet had the fame many seek. Andy Warhol from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol says the people who have the best fame are those with names on stores, like Marshal Field. Tom Rachman from The Imperfectionists (2010) says continuity and memory are illusions, our worst fear isn't the end of life but the end of memories, which don't exist anyway because our past selves no longer exist, only our present selves, which are always dissolving away with each moment. Emily Nussbaum in "Say Everything" (2008) says every person is a celebrity today, careful managing their online image and persona like movie stars of old, but with Facebook, MySpace, blogs and, uh, book reviews. Percy Shelley's poem "Ozymandius" (1818) is fantastic romanticism.

Of the original essays, my two favorites are biographies, "Vanishing Act" by Paul Collins about the child-genius writer Barbara Follett; and an essay about the always fascinating Orson Welles called "Against Appearances" by Bruce Bawer. He counters the oft-repeated trope that Welles was a young prodigy who didn't live up to his promise, in fact he produced a large body of quality work including directed many films not commonly known about even today.

--Review by Stephen Balbach, via CoolReading (c) 2011 cc-by-nd ( )