Brando: The Unauthorized Biography By Charles Higham
Brando: The Unauthorized Biography
The Uncompromised, High-Stakes Chronicle of Hollywood Genius, Counter-Culture Rebellion, and the Mask of a Cinematic Icon
The Uncompromised, High-Stakes Chronicle of Hollywood Genius, Counter-Culture Rebellion, and the Mask of a Cinematic Icon
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Brando: The Unauthorized Biography
- Author: Charles Higham
- Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, London
- Publication Date: 1 October 1987
- ISBN-10: 0283995017
- ISBN-13: 9780283995019
- Edition Details: First UK Hardcover Edition, First Printing.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium black cloth-bound hardcover casing with gold-stamped spine lettering.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 330 pages. Generously enhanced with a central repository of high-contrast black-and-white archival photographic plates mapping his legendary stage breakthroughs, iconic movie frames, and private reclusive escapes.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Used - Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Boards: The original hardcover binding presents in an exceptional, collector-grade preservation state. The black cloth boards remain flat, clean, and defensively square at all corner tips. The binding is completely unyielding, showing no vertical spine-lean or core structural degradation.
- Interior: The internal text block is tight, crisp, and robustly bound. All 330 pages are clean, intact, and free of traditional user highlighting, underline annotations, library processing stamps, owner name inscriptions, or folded dog-ears. A natural, uniform tanning/browning is present across the internal paper leaves, which is completely typical for the specific paper stock utilized by British trade publishers during the late 1980s. This book has clearly been well-maintained and looked after thus far.
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The Dust Jacket: Used - Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition Detail: The original illustrated paper dust jacket is present, whole, and completely intact. Shows only some very limited signs of minor storage wear and tear along the topmost outer margins from safe shelving. It comes fully protected with a premium Cellophane cover, which guards against future handling while presenting an immaculate, high-gloss display profile on a collector's shelf.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1987—capturing his life right as he retreated into near-total reclusive isolation following his legendary mid-career triumphs—Brando stands as an exceptional, raw, and deeply engrossing biographical chronicle of cinema's ultimate rebel: Marlon Brando. Bypassing standard studio promotional spin, this unauthorized biography strips down the enigmatic genius to deliver an immediate, raw window into the mind of the man who fundamentally revolutionized modern acting.
Acclaimed investigative biographer Charles Higham traces Brando's complex trajectory from a turbulent, fractured childhood in Omaha to his historic early breakthroughs on the Broadway stage and his eventual rise to become the most powerful actor in Hollywood history. The narrative provides an exhaustive, point-by-point account fueled by first-hand anecdotes from Brando's closest friends, professional colleagues, wives, and lovers. Higham maps out the psychological theater behind his most legendary performances—from the raw, sweating animalism of A Streetcar Named Desire to the calculated, whispering mastery of The Godfather and the chaotic descent of Apocalypse Now. This premium first-edition hardcover collectible copy is a vital used collectible book that serves as an essential primary historical archive for film historians and biography purists alike.
Author Profile: Charles Higham
Charles Higham (1931–2012) was a monumental titan of international biographical literature, a widely revered investigative journalist, and a prominent Hollywood historian. Celebrated globally for his sharp narrative pacing, meticulous archival cross-referencing, and his fearless ability to cut through corporate studio public relations, Higham served as the chief New York film correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and authored numerous critically acclaimed international bestsellers.
Higham’s unique literary talent allowed him to bypass sanitized media legends to present complex cultural icons with absolute psychological depth. Over his illustrious career, he authored definitive, ground-breaking biographies of monumental figures—including classic volumes on Howard Hughes, Katharine Hepburn, Errol Flynn, and Bette Davis. His expert handling of private archival logs and first-hand interviews transforms celebrity gossip into a highly polished, definitive historical record that remains highly prized by antiquarian book collectors worldwide.
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