Louise Brooks has appeared on the covers of more than a handful of contemporary books, which is notable in that a good number of them are not necessarily about the actress or only reference her. These cover appearances are sometimes merely decorative — as an iconic figure, Brooks’ image was meant to be alluring, or perhaps evoke something about fashion or popular culture. With some covers, Brooks’ image was merely decorative — a pretty face, as is said, can help sell a book or magazine or whatever.
Besides this, there are a few other pages on the LBS website which showcase contemporary book covers featuring Louise Brooks or a Louise Brooks look-alike, including ones for fiction, poetry and drama, general non-fiction, and works of film history. Those pages are:
FICTION | POETRY & DRAMA | NON-FICTION | FILM HISTORY
A 2012 article by Thomas Gladysz on the subject of contemporary book covers featuring Louise Brooks can be found on the Huffington Post, “Louise Brooks – Cover Girl and Secret Muse of the 20th Century.” Notably, Louise Brooks also appeared on number of books published in the past. The LBS website which features a generously illustrated page of vintage Photoplay Editions (movie tie-in books and booklets) as well as a page of a few unrelated Vintage Book Covers. Know of other cover appearances? Have a better scan or additional information to share? The LBS would love to hear from you via its CONTACT page.
Aside from the ” Louise Brooks Bookshelf,” a page of essential reading, Louise Brooks has appeared on the cover of numerous works about the movies and film history. These titles are not about the actress per se, and in some instances only reference the actress in passing.
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| Amour-Erotisme et Cinema (binding) Ado Kyrou Le Terrain Vague, 1957 non-fiction | France |
Dictionnaire du cinema (vol 2) Maurice Bessy Jean-Jacques Pauvert, 1965 non-fiction | France |
A Dictionary of the Cinema Peter Graham A. S. Barnes, 1968 non-fiction | USA |
A Dictionary of the Cinema Peter Graham A. Zwemmer Ltd, 1968 non-fiction | UK |
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| Hollywood Glamor Portraits John Kobal Dover Publications, 1976 non-fiction | USA |
Rebellin in Hollywood Paul Werner, Uta van Steen Tende, 1986 non-fiction | Germany |
Hollywood Brian Lee Keele University Press, 1986 non-fiction | UK |
Celluloid Closet Vito Russo Harper, 1987 non-fiction | USA |
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| Il cinema di Augusto Genina Germani Sergio & Martinelli Vittorio Biblioteca dell’immagine, 1989 non-fiction | Italy |
Femmes Fatales By Mary Ann Doane Routledge, 1991 non-fiction | USA |
Der Film der Weimarer Republik 1929 Gero Gandert Walter de Gruyter, 1993 non-fiction | Germany |
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| Cine 100 (day planner) Catherine Tourne L’Institut Lumiere, 1994 datebook | France |
Hollywood Movie Stills Joel W. Finler B T Batsford Ltd, 1995 non-fiction | UK |
Vampires & Violets Andrea Weiss Dortmund, 1995 non-fiction | Germany |
50 Most Erotic Films of All Time Maitland McDonagh Citadel, 1995 non-fiction | USA |
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| G.W. Pabst Wolfgang Jacobsen Argon, 1997 non-fiction | Germany |
Geheimnisvolle Tiefe: G. W. Pabst Günter Krenn film archiv austria, 1998 non-fiction | Austria |
Pandoras Schätze Gerald Koll Diskurs Film Verlag, 1998 non-fiction | Germany |
Hollywood Dressed & Undressed Sandy Schreier Rizzoli, 1998 non-fiction | USA |
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| Playing to the Camera (HB) Bert Cardullo & Harry Geduld Yale University Press, 1998 non-fiction | USA |
Playing to the Camera (PB) Bert Cardullo & Harry Geduld Yale University Press, 1999 non-fiction | USA |
Film ist Comics Paolo Caneppele & Günter Krenn film archiv austria, 1999 non-fiction | Austria |
Halbnah Thomas Kroebner Gardez Verlag, 1999 non-fiction | Germany |
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| Dictionnaire du cinéma (vol 3) Jacques Lourcelles Robert Laffont, 1999 non-fiction | France |
Positif Bernard Chardère Jean-Michel Place, 2000 anthology | France |
Intl Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers Tom Pendergast St. James Press, 2000 non-fiction | USA |
Die Kindfrau. Lust, Provokation, Spiel Andrea Bramberger Matthes & Seitz Berlin, 2002 non-fiction | Germany |
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| M wie Nebenzahl Hans-Michael Bock Edition Text + Kritik, 2002 non-fiction | Germany |
Movie Star Vamps and Scamps Tom Tierney Dover Publications, 2003 non-fiction | USA |
Casting Etienne Ethaire Le Somnambule équivoque, 2006 non-fiction | Belgium |
City Girls Jatho Gabriele Bertz und Fischer, 2007 non-fiction | Germany |
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| Louise Brooks and the New Woman in Weimar Cinema Vanessa Rocco International Center of Photography, 2007 non-fiction | USA |
Concise Cinegraph Hans-Michael Bock Berghahn Books, 2009 non-fiction | USA |
Academy Award Losers 1912-1939 Jordan Young Past Times Publishing, 2012 non-fiction | USA |
Exhibiting Cinema in Contemporary Art Erika Balsom Amsterdam University Press, 2013 non-fiction | USA |
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| The Photoplay Hugo Munsterberg Duke Classics, 2014 non-fiction | USA |
Il vampiro nascosto Sergio Arecco Le Mani, 2014 non-fiction | Italy |
Cosas que no creeríais José Manuel Benítez Ariza Universitat de València, 2016 non-fiction | Spain |
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| Cinema tedesco: i film Leonardo Quaresima Mimesis Edizioni, 2019 non-fiction | Italy |
Hollywood v. Beauty and the Synchronicity of the Six Kirk Henderson Austin Macauley Publishers, 2020 non-fiction | USA |
Shadows in a Phantom Eye Nocturne Group Independently published, 2023 non-fiction | USA |
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| In de schaduwen van de toekomst Dorian d’Oliveira Uitgeverij Aspekt Aspekt, 2024 non-fiction | The Netherlands |
Flashbacks Peter Cowie Sticking Place Books, 2025 non-fiction | USA |
Hollywood V. Beauty (New Edition) Kirk Henderson Kirk Henderson, 2025 non-fiction | USA |