Bookish Thursday - The Merchant of Venus - The Life of Walter Thornton

Yes!

Time again for another book review for WOW-Women on Writing. This is it is a nonfiction about Walter Thornton by two of his daughters.

But first the business...

Book Summary

Imagine losing a parent and discovering he had a secret life you never known about. You and your siblings embark on a quest to uncover what it all meant, becoming enmeshed in a series of images and anecdotes found in newspapers, magazines, books, and documents. Ultimately, you realize your parent was not just famous, but VERY famous! 

Walter Thornton was famous during a time when it was easy to be forgotten (1920s to the 1950s), making the discoveries about his life all the more engaging due to the involved process of uncovering

them. Through alternating perspectives presented by two sisters, the Thornton saga unfolds in a whirlwind of surprising revelations, thrilling with unexpected drama, adventure, and glamour. Just imagine beautiful models, pin-up girls, Hollywood royalty—Thornton was a true trendsetter. This book unveils the captivating story of Thornton's rise from an orphan to a charismatic male model to a visionary who transformed advertising by founding the first-ever agency for advertising models. But hold onto your hats because there's more! Get ready for dramatic twists, encounters with models who transformed into Hollywood legends such as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, and Grace Kelly, and a hint of McCarthy-era intrigue—it's a gripping tale worthy of the silver screen itself!

Publisher: ‎ Tile House Publishing, LLC

ASIN: B0CZF5WH15

ISBN-13: 979-8989273553

Print Length: 240 pages

Purchase a copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.

About the Authors

Walter Thornton's daughters have devoted countless years to researching, writing, and archiving their father’s extensive collection of photos and documents, discovered in the attic of their childhood home. Drawing upon the invaluable insights collected from their father’s documents and aided by the assistance of numerous librarians from esteemed institutions such as the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and others across the country, as well as historians, they have fully immersed themselves in the quest to unveil their father's narrative.

Nancy Thornton Navarro is a former trademark and copyright attorney who has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Irving, Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Nancy currently lives near Dallas with her husband and is a proud mother of three.

Adriana Thornton-Cornejo (R) is a Programmer, 2D Artist, and CAD Drafter at Focus 360, a company serving the Home Building Industry. Adriana hopes that, with renewed public interest in her father’s life and career, she can one day open a Walter Thornton Museum. She lives near Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons. 

Philip Mershon is an entertainment industry historian and storyteller who loves going down a good rabbit hole in search of the truth. He lives in Palm Springs, California.

Find them online at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMerchantofVenus

Webpage: https://themerchantofvenus.com

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Clarence_Thornton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorntoncornejo

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themerchantofvenus/

Now for my opinion.

Unfortunately, my family secrets haven't turned out to be anywhere near as exciting as those of Walter Thornton. Plus, I so want to travel to Mexico and see the house he created. But anyway, for someone who grew up watching all the movies from the 1940's and 50's, some of the names bring back memories of watching TV on Saturday afternoons. I found it interesting to learn how so much of what I think of as being 'everyday' in the movie and modeling was formed in large part by Walter Thornton. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who looks to the 'Golden Age' of Hollywood and all the glamour of that era. 

But don't just rely on my opinion, check the rest of the posts out. Plus, if you head over to the WOW-Women on Writing post there is a giveaway for the book.