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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady (Mint Editions (Humorous and Satirical Narratives)) Paperback – May 21, 2021

by Anita Loos (Author), Mint Editions (Contributor)
4.5 out of 5 stars 85
See all formats and editions
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady (1925) is a novel by Anita Loos. Adapted from a series of stories written for Harper’s Bazaar, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was an astounding success for Loos, who had mired for over a decade as a screenwriter in Hollywood and New York. An immediate bestseller, the novel earned praise from leading writers and critics of its time, and has been adapted several times for theater and film. Recognized as a defining text of the Jazz Age, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is an absolute classic dubbed “the great American novel” by Edith Wharton. Lorelei Lee is a young flapper living a life of luxury in Manhattan. A mistress for prominent Chicago businessman Gus Eisman, who pays handsomely, Lorelei has far surpassed her roots as a young woman from Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite her talent as an actress, she finds herself held as an object by wealthy, often married men, whom she uses accordingly. Hers is a life of fine cuisine, opulent jewelry, and tickets to the best shows in town. Soon, however, she grows tired of New York, and sets off on a trip to Europe with her friend Dorothy Shaw. Away from the men who had dragged them down, the two women explore London, Paris, and Vienna, where they find new dopes to dupe with the promise of love. A caricature of the Jazz Age woman, Lorelei Lee reflects the libido and materialism of a generation caught between wars, situated in a time of exponential cultural change, yet wary of disaster’s proximity.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    90 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mint Editions
  4. Publication date
    May 21, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.22 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1513282255
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1513282251
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Lorelei is a young woman from Arkansas who settles in New York after some success as a Hollywood actress. Living on the support of Gus Eisman, a wealthy Chicago businessman, she leads a life of luxury and glamor among the city’s elite. Soon, she tires of America and leaves for Europe. Gentleman Prefer Blondes is a novel by Anita Loos.

About the Author

Anita Loos (1888-1981) was an American playwright and novelist. Born in California, Loos was raised in a family of newspaper publishers. She was raised in San Francisco, where she would follow her father, a journalist and businessman, on fishing trips and other excursions to the city’s impoverished areas. She worked as an actress in her teens, eventually becoming the main provider for her family due to her father’s struggle with alcoholism. After graduating high school, Loos worked as a writer for several publications and submitted her first screenplay in 1911, for which she was paid $25. In 1912, her screenplay The New York Hat was turned into a successful silent film by D.W. Griffith, an early Hollywood legend. For the next several years, she found steady work as a writer for Griffith, receiving her first screen credit for a production of Macbeth. In 1918, she moved with her husband John Emerson to New York, where she found some success on a film for William Randolph Hurst’s mistress Marion Davies, as well as on several features starring Constance Talmadge. In 1925, she adapted a series of sketches originally published in Harper’s Bazaar to form Gentleman Prefer Blondes, a highly successful comic novel that earned her fame, fortune, and adoration from such writers as William Faulkner and Aldous Huxley. Dubbed “the great American novel” by Edith Wharton, Gentleman Prefer Blondes would be adapted countless times for theater and film, including the 1953 classic starring Marilyn Monroe.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mint Editions; Reprint edition (May 21, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 90 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1513282255
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1513282251
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.22 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 85

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Anita Loos

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
85 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cissa
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, funny books, with great background if one wants that. These are CLASSIC novels!
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
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A brilliant, brilliant novel! (And in my opinion far better than "Catcher in the Rye", because Lorelei is an unreliable but likable narrator who does a fine job of navigating expectations to get what she wants in a pretty hostile world, and who is at least as self-centered as Holden but more fun.)

Lorelei Lee has a very distinctive voice. Her blend of "refined" and ignorant is funny at first, but rather touching as one gets into her head. As is her approach to life: while she cites high ideals, she is utterly pragmatic when it comes to actions, to a point where one can only admire the choices made by "a girl like I".

Her BFF, Dorothy- the brunette- is both more seemingly sensible and cynical, but also makes very poor life choices, especially by Lorelei's standards. Dorothy is a welcome snarky voice, though most of the snark sails right over Lorelei's head.

This edition contains "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes", plus a LOT of interesting back-story about the history of the books and their genesis.

It also has illustrations from an early edition, but unfortunately many of them are very muddy in print; I wish they had been cleaned up more.

These were the inspiration for the Marilyn Monroe movie, which was itself the inspiration for the Madonna "Material Girl" video- in which Madonna channels Lorelei for the dance number, and Dorothy for the context. Nicely done!

VERY highly recommended. This ought to be a taught classic.
7 people found this helpful
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Vicki Thayer
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for a degree in English Lit
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022
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Somehow, I managed to take a degree in English Literature (1970s), without ever hearing of Anita Loos. What a shame! Loos is much better and far more fun to read than half the crap I was obliged to wade through. I discovered her by reading a book about Florida, titled, “Bubble in the Sun,” where she was mentioned in passing; specifically, regarding her connection to Wilson Mizner and that she wrote a book called, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” I had seen the movie with Marilyn Monroe, but never knew it came from a book written in the 20s. I’ve since read Loos’ autobiography, “Kiss Hollywood Good-bye,” and it is excellent, as well.
3 people found this helpful
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Amy Whitaker
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest books I've ever read
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2009
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This is one of the funniest books I have ever read -- Bridget Jones before Bridget Jones, and much, much funnier than the film (which isn't bad itself).

It says a lot that, according to the introduction, when the author James Joyce was losing his eyesight and could read very little, the serialization of this book in Harpers Bazaar is one of the few things he read.

This edition in particular is great because it has the two companion pieces -- and a great introduction.

I've bought this book for countless people. It is a pleasure, and more understatedly witty than most anything out there.

Some excellent turns of phrase, typified by describing a rival as "an immitation Russian countess of the vampire type" . . .

Anita Loos, though having sad turns of events in her own life and choice of partner (one of those awkward guys who put all of her money in his name), was an absolute master of turning social dis-ease and annoying observation into pure spun, cotton-candy gold.

As they say, "Buy two copies, give one to a friend. . ."
6 people found this helpful
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Moiiiiiii
4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and Timeless
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2018
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My copy was a bit worn, but other than that, these two stories were great. I felt sorry for Lorelei because of her stupidity but also couldn’t help laughing at her. I don’t know when the last time was that a book made me continually LOL like this one did!
One person found this helpful
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Captain Critical
5.0 out of 5 stars LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY!
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2020
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A great edition of a wonderful book that is hilarious--of course the movie is almost as great, with Marilyn Monroe perfect as Lorelei Lee.

Anita Loos is more important than people realize in the history of the American novel, and was praised by Edith Wharton and James Joyce, no less, which is lovely, but what I'm here for is all the laughs and there are plenty!
One person found this helpful
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Lewis F. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars This was a lot of fun. So witty
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2018
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This was a lot of fun. So witty, sly and well written, I laughed a lot. So much of the attitudes expressed (especially Americans traveling abroad) echo to this day. Ms. Loos deserves for this to be remembered and in print for a very long time.
2 people found this helpful
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Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2004
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This is a great little book (actually, two books in one). I laughed put loud throughout it and hoped that it would never end. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is rightly considered a classic, its sharp and bitingly witty insight is something one never seems to see in a book today (indeed, humour in a book today seems to be rare - sometimes it seems that all new fiction books are depressing and morbid; and if you feel this way too then you should read Loos' clever and refreshing novels). This is a classuc that you will want to read over and over.
12 people found this helpful
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Dai-Shakan
5.0 out of 5 stars a classic and a nice edition.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2014
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Yes, a classic and a nice edition.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mrs Lamb
5.0 out of 5 stars I prefer this book to almost any other.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2019
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One of my absolute favourites. Wryly amusing, always looking sideways at ridiculous, pompous attitudes and laughing quietly.
The film was only very loosely based on this, so they shouldn't really be connected in your mind.

If you like PG Woodhouse, you might like to check out Anita Loos, who is a kind of American female spiritual cousin to him.
Having the sequel in the same book is very convenient, as you get to follow Dorothy's journey alongside Lorelei's.
Both of them fight through the impositions by society regarding their age, gender, social class and lack of formal education to triumph over their adversaries and would-be oppressors to achieve their desired goals in life.

And it's so much fun along the way.
One person found this helpful
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Mrs. N. Artamonova
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book and the quality is fine - it was ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2017
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Very good book and the quality is fine - it was issued some decades ago and slight yellowness of the pages makes this paperback quite noble. Timeless subject. It has some original artwork - when it was the last time I read illustrated book?
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Tula
3.0 out of 5 stars Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and But Gentlemen... Anita Loos
Reviewed in Germany on March 10, 2016
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Der Zustand des Taschenbuches ist gut. Das Englisch ist leicht verständlich, aber der Inhalt war nicht ganz nach meinem Geschmack, ich musste es für unsere English-Reading Gruppe lesen
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Judy M
2.0 out of 5 stars Irritating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2024
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Adore the film, but this scrap of a book was irritating and tedious - it may have been amusing in its time but I didn’t find the language or message at all funny.
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Robin B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2017
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Perfect
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