Maria Callas: Sacred Monster

The spectacular photographs of all of Callas's performances are in themselves worth the price of the book. In addition, the discography and quotes from reviews of the performances give this book much value as a reference source. Even if one doesn't always agree with the author's interpretation of events in Callas's personal life, the reader comes away with a profound sense of her artistry.

I'm sorry to see that this book is getting such bad reviews, because I think it is the best biography of Callas that I have ever read. The others seem to concentrate on one side of her life: either her art or her personal life. This book deals with both and keeps a good balance between them. The pictures were wonderful! There were many pictures in this book that I had never seen before, including one from Callas' very first opera, a student production in Athens, which she sang when she was 15. I also loved the chronology of her performances and the author's comments on Callas' recordings.