Written in the Stars: All-American X (Babe Paley Issue)
[Babe Paley Issue] Weber, Bruce (ed.). Written in the Stars: All-American X. 2010. Oversize softcover in very good condition. Co-edited by Nan Bush.
This 2010 installment of Bruce Weber and Nan Bush’s annual book series “featuring works by artists, photographers, essayists, poets, and personalities whose lives and accomplishments they wish to celebrate” includes Babe Paley, as well as ballet impresario Lincoln Kirstein, fashion designer James Galanos, singer Ray Charles, artist Ed Ruscha (whose work is juxtaposed with that of Grandma Moses), and others. The Babe section, titled “The Best of Babe: The Camera’s Love Affair with America’s Beauty, Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley” gets to the heart of what made her the quintessential American beauty. It includes photographs of her by the great 20th Century photographers (Avedon, Horst, Snowden), candid family photos (rarely seen), and text.
“Beyond her neatness and good looks, Babe was also noted for her warmth, kindness and generosity towards others. Babe made a point to remember names and faces of those she met and showed genuine interest in their families. She was a bastion of politeness and dignified composure and was unlikely ever to raise her voice or lose her temper.”
--Written in the Stars: All-American X