This page presents an annotated, worldwide bibliography of related articles and reviews of the Barry Paris biography of Louise Brooks. The book was first published in 1989 by Alfred A. Knopf in the United States and Hamish Hamilton in England. It was subsequently published in translation (in French and Spanish) around the world. In 2000, it was reissued in the United States by the University of Minnesota Press. This page is a work in progress. Citations are assumed to be from the United States, unless otherwise indicated. An * indicates that a copy of this citation is held in the archives of the LBS. If you know of additional citations, or can provide further information on the entries noted on this page, please CONTACT the Louise Brooks Society. This bibliography has been compiled by Thomas Gladysz, and was last updated in December 2023.
Louise Brooks by Barry Paris
published in 1989
Quirk, Lawrence J. “Brilliant Pittsburgh Journalist Barry Paris Coming Out with a Major Biography of Louise Brooks.” Quirks Reviews, August, 1986. *
— article
Jacobson, Serby Wilson and Patricia Orsini. “Tip-Off on Books.” Rochester Times-Union, April 25, 1988. *
— short article in New York newspaper
Stuttaford, Genevieve. “Louise Brooks.” Publisher’s Weekly. August 11, 1989. *
— pre-publication review; “The biography is a gossip lover’s feast, naming names and telling tales, yet also makes an addition to film history.”
author unknown. Kirkus Reviews. August ? 1989.
— pre-publication review; “Paris’ biography is rich, busy, without one boring moment.”
Smith, Liz. “A peek inside the pages of Knopf’s Louise Brooks bio.” New York Daily News. September 6, 1989. *
— pre-publication mention; ” . . . the upcoming biography of the silent screen star Louise Brooks. This sensational work from Knopf bows in October from the pen of Barry Paris. It’s a wow.”
Wiener, Thomas. “Biography – Louise Brooks: Her Life, Death, and Resurrection by Barry Paris.” Library Journal. September 15, 1989. *
— pre-publication review; “This is the first book-length portrait of Brooks, and Paris takes full advantage of cooperation from numerous sources as well as access to Brooks’s papers. Fascinating, titillating stuff.”
Brosnahan, John. “Louise Brooks.” Booklist. September 15, 1989. *
— pre-publication review; “Louise Brooks is presented in Paris’ new biography as more than just an actress noted for one or two roles and more than just the inspiration for the black bobbed hair of numerous women in the 1920s and again in the 1980s.”
Brodsky, Alyn. “A beautiful silent star who self-destructed.” Miami Herald, September 24, 1989. *
— “As a character in fiction, Louise Brooks – ravishingly beautiful, spectacularly self-destructive, the legendary ‘girl in the black helmet’ (so called for her Dutch bobbed, trademark hair) – would have been unbelievable. For here was a real life creature who made it a habit to snatch obscurity from the jaws of fame…. impeccably researched.”
Graham, Jean. “Marilyn’s Really Dirty Laundry.” New York Daily News, September 24, 1989. *
— short review of four biographies; a “well written, affectionate book.”
Curtright, Bob. “Louise Brooks: That Amazing Face.” Wichita Eagle, October 19, 1989. *
— feature story about Barry Paris and his biography in a Kansas newspaper, read part one here, and part two here
Curtright, Bob. “‘Louise Brooks is a Page-Turner – Biography Has Wichita Link.” Wichita Eagle, October 22, 1989. *
— review in Kansas newspaper
Gabler, Neil. “Love is a publicity stunt.” New York Times Book Review, October 22, 1989. *
— full page, largely negative review with illustrations” “… a fat, richly documented, doting and exhaustive book”
Harvey, James. “The Riddle That Was ‘Lulu’.” Boston Globe, October 22, 1989. *
— long newspaper review; “Louise Brooks, with her sardonic riddling gaze, has become one of the icons of movie history.”
Koenig, Rhoda. “Not in Kansas Anymore.” New York, October 23, 1989. *
— magazine review; “Not simply a summary of movie plots and love affairs but a serious work of film and social history.”
Jacobson, Serby Wilson. “Hardcover Brooks.” Rochester Times-Union, October 25, 1989. *
— long illustrated article in New York newspaper [a substantial sidebar – “Does it capture Lulu? We asked her local friends” ran alongside the review]
Taylor, Charles. “On Biography.” Boston Phoenix, October 27-November 2, 1989. *
— review in alt-weekly: “Paris accomplishes the not inconsiderable feat of realizing just how unique Brooks was on screen and managing to see her clearly as a person.”
Fischer, Lucy. “Writer conjures up life of jazz-era image, Louise Brooks.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 28, 1989. *
— newspaper review
Garner, Jack. “Shedding light on the lost years of Louise Brooks.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 29, 1989. *
— long newspaper review; read part one here, and part two here
Pierre, Brian St. “The Steamy Story of a Real-Life ‘Lulu’.” San Francisco Chronicle, October 29, 1989. *
— review with two portraits
Koszarski, Richard. “Review.” Film History, number 4, 1989. *
— short review (available through JStor.org): “… this reviewer remembers a terrifying evening in Brooks’s apartment in May 1979. She had just seen the galleys of Kenneth Tynan’s New Yorker profile, and had been pleading with that magazine’s editor, William Shawn, to cut some of the more scurrilous passages. ‘That man [Tynan] got me drunk!’ she ranted. ‘I told him things in confidence and now he is going to ruin my reputation!’ She was wrong about that last part, of course, but I wonder if her reaction on reading this book would have been any different.”
Bockris, Victor. “Negative Girl.” Elle, November, 1989.
— full page magazine review by the Warhol – Burroughs associate
George, George L. “Bookshelf.” Cinema Canada, November, 1989. (Canada)
— one of three books reviewed
Hodenfield, C. “Dangerous Radiance.” American Film, November 1, 1989. *
— review in film magazine
Lemon, Brendan. “Book Briefs.” Vogue, November, 1989. *
— page 280; short magazine review
Marcus, Greil. “Lulu Lost and Found.” California, November, 1989.
— two page magazine review with portrait; “Paris is superb, every detail opening onto another plane or almost subliminally doubling back to an incident charted a hundred pages earlier, the full weight of Brook’s exile coming home with increasing power, right to the end of her life. The second half of the book is riveting: complex, subtle, noisy, finally quiet. You don’t care that Paris can’t solve ‘the mystery.’ You care that a woman lived a life that made it.”
Dignan, Josef. “Portrait of a Silent Star.” Louisville Courier-Journal, November 4, 1989. *
— newspaper review
Grossman, David. “Louise Brooks: Celebrated Siren.” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5, 1989. *
— long newspaper review
Finkel, David. “A Lulu Who Became A Screen Legend.” Newsday, November 7, 1989. *
— newspaper review
Knode, Helen. “Diary of a Lost Woman.” L.A. Weekly, November 17-23, 1989. *
— review in Los Angeles alt-weekly; a letter to the editor regarding Knode’s review appeared in the December 14 issue
Takahama, Valerie. “Fascinated by Louise Brooks – Actress-writer still has people talking, biographer says.” Orange County Register, November 21, 1989. *
— feature story / review in California newspaper
. “Film World Delves Into Its Own History.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 23, 1989. *
— multiple books are reviewed: “The movie-star biography to beat this Christmas is Louise Brooks by Barry Paris (Knopf, $24.95), the first – and most certainly the definitive – biography of one of the most enduringly fascinating figures of the silent era. It’s extremely well-written by an author who had much access to her in her final years, as well as to her many letters, diaries and other unpublished writings.”
Simon, John. “The Real Lulu.” Washington Post, November 26, 1989. *
— “Paris has researched and reported faithfully every aspect of Brooks’s life. The story he tells is fascinating not only for what it says about Brooks, but also for its generous sidelights on the whole jazz-and-flapper age.”
Wiener, Tom. “Hollywood Tales and Legends Get Star Treatment.” USA Today, November 29, 1989.
— reviews of nine books
Mathews, Laura. “Word on Books: Season’s Readings.” Glamour, December, 1989.
— page 162; various books are briefly described
Stuart, Otis. “Lulu in Hollywood.” New York Outweek, December 3, 1989. *
— see page 47 in this issue of the LGTBQ magazine: “Paris’s book is the one the faithful have been waiting for. The research is exhaustive, the details scrupulously attended, and all enhanced by access to Brook’s unpublished writing. The result is thorough, documented and tangible. Even better, Paris does Brooks two services that propel his book well past for-addicts-only status. He is savvy enough to grasp that half of the Brooks mythology is the setting, and he gives it to us up-close and in the round. But his wisest choice is his deference to Brook’s own voice. He lets her larger statements about the human condition, her own and otherwise, speak for themselves. Brooks’s story is Cinderella rewritten for the apocalypse, and Paris and Brooks tell it straight, twists included.”
Themal, Harry F. “Ultimate flapper superbly portrayed.” Wilmington News Journal, December 3, 1989. *
— “With this marvelous biography, Paris allows us with great enjoyment and fascination to discover Louise Brooks the person, just as Pandora’s Box allows us to appreciate Louise Brooks the actress.”
Ecklund, Eileen. “Books.” San Francisco Bay Guardian, December 6, 1989. *
— review in alt-weekly
McKinley, Mary Ann. “Brooks leads them along in New York.” Kansas City Star, December 10, 1989. *
— newspaper review
Polan, Dana. “Woman of Mystery: Actress Louise Brooks’ life on view.” Pittsburgh Press, December 10, 1989. *
— “The books stands as an unrivaled tribute to life.”
Rickey, Carrie. “Rich choices on Hollywood’s peaks and personages.” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 10, 1989. *
— short newspaper review
Taylor, Robert. “Giving with Words and Pictures.” Oakland Tribune, December 10, 1989. *
— short newspaper write-up
Cook, Bruce. “Celluloid Pandora.” Chicago Tribune, December 17, 1989. *
— long newspaper review
Sachs, Lloyd. “Louise Brooks: Alluring onscreen and forever after.” Chicago Sun – Times, December 17, 1989. *
— long newspaper review
Fuller, Richard. “A Pandora’s Box.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 24, 1989. *
— “In this tale of a woman who seems determined to snatch defeat from every victory, he has a real winner.”
Thomson, David. “Saint Lulu.” New Republic, December 25, 1989. *
— long review with caricature of Brooks by Vini Lawrence
Bush, Stacey. “The perfect face of Louise Brooks: less there than meets the eye.” Houston Chronicle, December 31, 1989. *
— newspaper review: “… is meticulously researched.”
Hommel, M. “Loulou in Hollywood. Louise Brooks.” Skrien. December – January, 1989 / 1990. (Netherlands)
— page 78 – 79; article in film magazine from Amsterdam
Goldman, D. “A Guide to the Season’s Best Books.” Premiere. January, 1990.
— capsule review; “The much-talked-about Louise Brooks is among the worthiest Hollywood bios of the year: a synthesis of exhaustive research, written with imaginative sympathy.”
Eyman, Scott. “A troubling, troubled life.” Palm Beach Post, January 7, 1990. *
— newspaper review
Rozen, Leah. “Picks & Pans.” People, January 8, 1990. *
— “Brooks, the dizzyingly beautiful silent-movie star with the now iconographic black bob . . . .”
Lombardi, F. “Louise Brooks By Barry Paris.” Variety, January 10, 1990. *
— magazine review: ” … commendable and impressively researched.”
Lexton, Maria. “Bob Dazzler.” Time Out, January 10-17, 1990. (England)
— accompanying the review is a short article about one writer’s attempt to get a Brooks’ bob; Brooks also appears on the cover
Thompson, Frank. “Brooks Is a clear-eyed biography of Enigmatic, self-destructive actress.” Atlanta Journal & Constitution, January 15, 1990. *
— “Louise Brooks is one of the enigmas of the cinema.”
Kelman, Suanne. “Sauntering away from stardom.” Toronto Star, January 20, 1990. (Canada) *
— “She earned her niche almost entirely through a single silent movie, G. W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box.” – a letter to the editor critical of the review was published in the February 17 issue of the newspaper
Finnegan, Patrick. “Biography puts Louise Brooks in perspective.” Baltimore Sun, January 28, 1990. *
— “It is ironic that Barry Paris’ superb Louise Brooks, an admirably measured biography of the American star of Pandora’s Box, unwittingly seems to have provoked a current ‘Brooks backlash’.”
Standbrook, Alan. “The Legend of Lulu.” London Sunday Telegraph, January 28, 1990. (England) *
— magazine cover story & long three page review which contains an extraordinarily rare image of Brooks in The American Venus, not Prix de beaute, as it is captioned.
Kleiner, Dick. “Louise Brooks fails to interest.” The Desert Sun, February 10, 1990. *
— negative newspaper review; an equally caustic letter to the editor in response to Kleiner’s review was published in the newspaper on March 10
Haeseker, Fred. “Hollywood misfit’s place in history assured.” Calgary Herald, February 17, 1990. (Canada) *
— newspaper review: “Barry Paris exhaustively documented book does justice to his complex subject and the ironic shape of her life.”
author unknown. “Book Reviews.” Television Scene, 1990.
— review in magazine
Hermans, Willem Frederik. “Louise Brooks. Art deco demon.” Elsevier, January 27, 1990.
— book review by the acclaimed Dutch novelist
Hosman, Harry. “Een pagekopje dat als een voetzoeker door het leven ging.” de Volkskrant, February 10, 1990. (Netherlands) *
— Dutch review of the English edition
Barber, Lynn. “Sexual insouciance and bad timing.” The Independent, February 18, 1990. (England) *
— London newspaper review: “Even the most besotted Louise Brooks fan — and I am one — must wonder if we actually need another biography. Her account of herself in Lulu in Hollywood is pretty well perfect; Alexander Walker and other tiresome literalists point out that many of its facts are wrong, but who needs facts when the myth is so potent?”
Feld, Bruce. “Persistent flapper ahead of her time.” Daily News, February 18, 1990. *
— review in Los Angeles newspaper
Cook, Norman. “Rebel without cause for scruples.” Daily Post: The Paper for Wales, February 22, 1990. (Wales) *
— “… an absorbing story of life, love and lust.”
Coe, Jonathan. “Lulu’s lost living.” The Guardian, February 22, 1990. (England) *
— ” … an admirably proportioned book, which resists the temptation to concentrate exclusively on her — very brief — film career, and instead has the nerve to devote a long and grueling section to her years of painful old age.”
Adair, Gilbert. “She Gave Herself, but Not Away – Louise Brooks.” Spectator. February 24, 1990. (England) *
— article in London publication
Painter, Michael. “Lulu’s Story.” Irish Times, February 24, 1990. (Ireland) *
— review in article in Dublin, newspaper
Harron, Mary. “Myth and melancholy.” The Observer, February 25, 1990. (England) *
— review in London newspaper
Shearer, Moira. “Naughty like an alter-boy.” Sunday Telegraph, February 25, 1990. (England) *
— largely negative review by the famed ballerina and actress who starred in The Red Shoes
Baresch, Ruby. “Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris.” Film Criticism, Winter, 1990. *
— a three page, somewhat critical review (available through JStor.org)
Nangle, J. “Book Reviews.” Films in Review, March, 1990.
— page 184 – 187
Sears, R.D. “Louise Brooks.” Choice, March, 1990. *
— “She emerges from Paris’s book as a figure of devastating remoteness, as if her own life had never really engaged her. Her biographer, although deeply engaged, cannot penetrate his subject’s mystery; nevertheless, he does justice to a fascinating subject.”
Aitken, Will. “Books.” Montreal Gazette, March 3, 1990. (Canada) *
— newspaper review
Byrne, Jim. “Louise Brooks.” Seattle Times, March 4, 1990. *
— short review in Washington newspaper: “She did not leave her memoirs, but Paris has admirably filled that void.”
Carter, Angela. “Brooksie and Faust.” London Review of Books, March 8, 1990. (England) *
— review; reprinted in Shaking a Leg: Collected Writings (London: Chatto and Windus, 1997)
Petit, Chris. “A Lulu of a Girl.” London Times, March 10, 1990. (England) *
— newspaper review
Regan, Jennifer. “Louise Brooks’ cynical success: Cult Figure Could Never Enjoy Much of Anything.” Buffalo News, March 18, 1990. *
— review in New York newspaper
author unknown. Toronto Globe and Mail, March 31, 1990. (Canada)
— review in Toronto newspaper
George, George L. “The Bookshelf.” American Cinematographer, April 1990. *
— capsule review: ” … a field day for scholars and gossip lovers.”
Yusuf, Nilgin. “The Girl in the Black Helmet.” Guardian, April 2, 1990. (England) *
— article in UK newspaper
Stone, Myra. “El enigma de una actriz singular.” La Prensa, April 20, 1990. (Panama) *
— Spanish-language article in Panama City newspaper
O’Connor, Patrick. “Survival of a Jazz Baby.” Times Literary Supplement, April 27 – May 3, 1990. (England) *
— “Louise Brooks seems to have had such a rare intelligence and humor that this is not a tale of tragedy but a study in fierce originality.”
Martin, Adrian. “Brooks: A Ripping Good Yarn .” Sunday Herald, April 29, 1990. (Australia)
— Melbourne newspaper review: “Barry Paris’s wonderful and fascinating biography of Brooks is, for the most part, equal to the challenge of grappling with the complexities of her multiform myth.”
Roberts, John. “More on books – ‘every little breeze whispers Louise’.” Classic Images, May 1990.
— page 32
anonymous. “Notes on Current Books.” Virginia Quarterly Review, Summer 1990. *
— brief review in literary journal (available through JStor.org): “In this definitive if over-devoted biography, Paris recounts….”
anonymous. “Recollections and indiscretions.” London Observer, July 1, 1990. (England) *
— capsule review (see right)
Ciment, Michel. “Louise Brooks.” Positif, July – August, 1990. (France) *
— near full page review by the well known French film critic, with a cartoon by Guido Crepax
Spratley, Lois. “Journalist Delves in to Steamy Story of Louise Brooks.” Hampton Roads Daily Press, September 23, 1990. *
— review in Virginia newspaper: “… massively researched and sensitively reflected upon by journalist Barry Paris.”
Cherchi Usai, Paolo. “Louise Brooks, di Barry Paris.” Griffithiana, October, 1990. (Italy) *
— half-page review; according to the reviewer, there are several Brooks’ manuscripts “buried at the George Eastman House” which will remain unpublished till 2011
Holmer, Per. “Louise Brooks – gatfullare an Garbo ?” Svenska Dagbladet, October 4, 1990. (Sweden)
— two page review (“Louise Brooks – more mysterious than Garbo?”) in Swedish newspaper
Shapiro, Susan. “Soft Focus.” Newsday, October 7, 1990. *
— brief New York newspaper review of the paperback release; “Paris offers a full, insightful and provocative picture of the stubborn actress behind the silver screen.”
Kaganoff, P. “Forecasts: Paperbacks.” Publisher’s Weekly. October 26, 1990.
— review of softcover edition
anonymous. “Louise Brooks by Barry Paris ’69.” Columbia College Today, Winter 1990. *
— capsule notice in alumni journal: “A biography of the film actress who once said, “The career of an actor is the most degrading of all enslavements,” and who walked away from her own career at the height of her fame, when the talkies were new (Knopf, $24.95).”
Johnson, George. “New & Noteworthy.” New York Times, December 9, 1990. *
— capsule review of paperback edition in New York City newspaper
Zest. “New in paperback.” Houston Chronicle, December 9, 1990. *
— brief notice: “Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris. A rich biography about a promising actress who seemed to self-destruct (Anchor Books, $14.95).”
Leiber, Fritz. “Moon & Stars & Stuff.” Locus, December 1990. *
— article in science fiction/fantasy trade publication written by the famed author and son of the character actor
anonymous. “Louise Brooks.” Script, number 11, Spring 1991.
— article on pages 24 – 25
Johnston, Ian. “Louise Brooks.” Vox, July 1991. (England) *
— short review with portrait in British rock music magazine
Squires, Tony. “The Dangerous Life of Louise.” Sydney Morning Herald, July 15, 1993. (Australia) *
— article about the Australian edition published by Mandarin
Contat, Michel. “Louise Brooks, lumière noire.” Le Monde, November 26, 1993. (France)
— long article; “Elle fut Loulou jusqu’au bout, dans la vie comme au cinéma. Barry Paris éclaire le mystère de la plus grande actrice du muet.” [“She was Loulou to the end, in life and in the cinema. Barry Paris sheds light on the mystery of the greatest silent actress.”]
Lachize, S. Cahiers Cinematheque. February, 1994. (France)
— page 140
author unknown. Services Documentaires Multimédia. 199? (France)
Barrot, Olivier. “Barry Paris: Louise Brooks.” INA.fr, December 11, 1993. (France) *
— brief video piece about the French edition
Levin, Martin. Toronto Globe & Mail. September 16, 2000. (Canada)
— regarding the reissue by the University of Minnesota press
Rising, Gerry. “Lulu in Hollywood.” ArtVoice. August 30, 2001. *
— article regarding Brooks and the University of Minnesota press reissue in weekly Buffalo magazine
Fellowes, Julian. “The insider’s guide to the literary stocking-filler.” London Observer, November 25, 2012. *
— recommendations from a number of well known UK writers: “I suspect the book that has haunted me the most this year was the life of that queen of the silent screen, Louise Brooks: A Biography (University of Minnesota), by Barry Paris. I have seldom read so lyrical a tale of self-destruction. When she was a girl, my mother used to be mistaken for Louise Brooks and so I have always felt a sort of investment in her, but I was unprepared for this heartbreaking tale of what-might-have-been.”
“Donna Tartt: By the Book.” New York Times, October 17, 2013. *
— mention: “What are you reading at the moment?… Barry Paris’s biography of Louise Brooks.”
Greenock, Mark Jones. “Louise Brooks by Barry Paris.” Daily Record, May 3, 2014. (Scotland) *
— brief notice: “For both the general reader and the student of cinema, this blockbusting biography tracks Brooks through good times and bad. As thrilling as any novel, Paris allows the ultimate flapper to dance and burn her way across this page turner, just as she did in life, leading us towards her final redemption.”