Worshipped as heroes, idolised, treated as gods, mythological stars are more than objects of admiration. Marianne Sinclair explores the sociological aspects of the cults that followed the deaths of stars like Rudolph Valantino, Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Lombard, John Garfield, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, and Elvis Presley. Using a rare collection of photographs, she reveals that a star is made from an idea-force produced by real needs peculiar to the 20th century.

Worshipped as heroes, idolised, treated as gods, mythological stars are more than objects of admiration. Marianne Sinclair explores the sociological aspects of the cults that followed the deaths of stars like Rudolph Valantino, Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Lombard, John Garfield, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, and Elvis Presley. Using a rare collection of photographs, she reveals that a star is made from an idea-force produced by real needs peculiar to the 20th century.