Marilyn Monroe Loved These Old-School Cookbooks So Much – Her Copies Are Worth A Fortune

When you think of Marilyn Monroe, the image of her wearing that iconic white dress and standing over a subway grate, and those ruby red lips are probably the first things you think of. However, the iconic Hollywood actor was also a down-to-earth woman who liked to cook. "The Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" star owned two hard-cover 1950s cookbooks: "The New Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" and "The New Joy of Cooking," two cookbooks everyone should have. These books went up for auction in 2021, and, at the time, were projected to fetch upwards of $75,000. 

But what makes them truly special beyond the fact that the bombshell owned them was the fact that they offered a weirdly intimate view of her culinary and dietary habits. The lucky buyer also got some bonus materials, which included a handwritten grocery list containing the following items: a dozen eggs, a quart of milk, cornflakes, jello, a half pint of cream, bread, coffee, butter, and soda. Additionally, there was a deli business card and a diet schedule. 

Marilyn Monroe's diet schedule is an interesting glimpse into her disciplined food rituals. For breakfast, her day started with orange juice or stewed prunes, a bowl of hot cereal, and a couple of slices of toast. She also might have a cup of milk or watered-down cocoa. Lunch was either about carbs or protein. She might have a boiled, poached, or scrambled egg if she fancied. Cottage cheese and spaghetti with tomato or butter were other options. She was also a fan of JELL-O.

Per the New York Post, Monroe told a now-defunct "Pageant Magazine" that, "My dinners at home are startlingly simple." Furthermore, she stated, "Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops, or some liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room." Dessert was often some rice pudding. And if she was up at 11 p.m., she might have eggnog for one. 

Of course, while these cookbooks are quite revealing, that doesn't mean the legend didn't indulge from time to time. To the same publication, she confessed that her go-to sweet snack after her acting classes was the hot fudge sundaes at Wil Wright's ice cream parlor. But Monroe's favorite wine to celebrate was a little ritzy. It was none other than Dom Perignon.