The Private World of Katharine Hepburn

John Bryson was given full co-operation by Miss Hepburn in creating this book. As a result, the reader is invited into her homes and given the opportunity to experience her "private world" as evidenced in the title. The photographs are beautiful and even if there were no text, the book would provide a satisfying, interesting view into the life of this fascinating icon. The book is all the more intriguing for the fact that Miss Hepburn would never have participated in a book like this during the 30's, 40's, 50's, or 60's. It has only been since the 1980's that Miss Hepburn has been willing to allow a look into her life and always on her own terms. Miss Hepburn was a master craftsman as an actor and a master craftsman of her life and image.

Author John Bryson has managed to assemble a comprehensive photo collection of the great, and extremely private, Katharine Hepburn. Bryson has used his publishing and Hollywood contacts to compile an interesting collection of little and never-before-seen photos of Hepburn's life as actress, artist, athlete, co-worker, ham, homebody and friend. It could not have been an easy task to assemble such an array of unusual and revealing photos, and Bryson's observations and commentary illuminate without the usual stilted editorialization that so often accompanies photo biographies. This is a fine work any Hepburn fan would want for their library. I say buy two--one for a friend, and one for yourself!