The definitive biography of Hollywood icon Joan Crawford, from acclaimed film historian and New York Times bestselling biographer Scott Eyman, is ';the story of Hollywood stardom itself' (The New Yorker).Joan Crawford burst out of her poverty-stricken youth to become a bright young movie star in the 1920s, drawing the admiration of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the attention of audiences worldwide. She flourished for decades, working across genres, from romance to westerns (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Guitar) to musicals and noir (Torch Song, A Woman's Face). Along the way she accumulated four husbands, an Academy Award for Best Actress, and the undeniable status of a legend. One of the greatest Hollywood biographers of all time, Scott Eyman draws on never before seen documents from the Crawford estate delivering the first full telling of the movie star's dazzling, turbulent life which is ';a cinematic experience in itself' (Salon).