Most Popular Books by The Editors of LIFE

In a tribute to Gene Wilder, the movies'' first Willy Wonka, LIFE presents a lavishly illustrated commemorative edition. This special issue highlights Wilder''s indelible, career-defining roles and traces his life from his childhood in Milwaukee through his marriage to and loss of Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner and beyond: Behind the scenes at Willy Wonka''s chocolate factory, and why Wonka remains such an enduring film for children Inside Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers and Wilder''s partnership with director Mel Brooks How Wilder and Richard Pryor created comedic gold on screen Gilda Radner, Wilder''s beloved late wife, in her own words

By incorporating and transforming foreign influences, film noir became a uniquely American art form. Though it was overlooked at first, this powerful genre would give Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum career-defining roles, fuel Joan Crawford''s middle-age comeback, and set the stage for the work of Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. Noir illuminated the dark side of the American dream, but despite its characteristic bleakness, these films are somehow always fun. Film Noir: 75 Years of the Greatest Crime Films revisits 20 of the genre''s best, from the first noir The Maltese Falcon to L.A. Confidential. We commence by delving into "Classic Noir," films released between 1941 and 1958 with their angular chiaroscuro and Teutonic angst combined with the influence of pup and hard-boiled crime fiction. Stunning photography walks us through Shadow of a Doubt, Double Indemnity, Laura, Mildred Pierce, Out of the Past, The Third Man, In a Lonely Place, Niagara, The Night of the Hunter, Touch of Evil and more. Next in our "Neo Noir" section, you will see the transformation of noir from 1967 onward with films like Bonnie and Clyde, Dirty Harry, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, Body Heat, Blood Simple, Blue Velvet, Pulp Fiction and more. Articles about how the genre was born, tabloids and film noir, offscreen noir, and what factors lead film back to black punctuate these spreads. Enter the cinematic world of "doom, fate, fear, and betrayal," as beloved film critic Roger Ebert said, with Film Noir: 75 Years of the Greatest Crime Films.

Readers who love the "strange but true" realm-which includes bestsellers from the Guinness Book of World Records to Ripley''s Believe It or Not-will love this book from LIFE. The LIFE book falls at the high end of the genre, in that our readers trust LIFE''s veracity, and treasure LIFE''s always vivid, always truthful photography. The allure of the incredible is mighty, and in this book one incredible story after another is set before the reader in riveting narratives and pictures that are as beguiling-and often as beautiful-as they are persuasive. Myths are explored (some are exploded!) and legends probed. LIFE''s editors travel from the highlands of Scotland to the low country of the American Southeast, investigating occurrences and objects that locals swear are real. The world''s tallest man and its largest animal are visited. Microscopic animals are revealed, as are beasts dating back to the dinosaurs. Could these chimps be our closest cousins? Witness their behavior and decide for yourself (with the help, of course, of information provided in the incisive text). This is a captivating volume for young and mature readers alike.

LIFE Magazine remembers actress Lauren Bacall.

From his youth as the leader of rebels to his years as president and elder statesman of South Africa, Nelson Mandela changed the world through his messages of peace and reconciliation. Rediscover the amazing journey of this inspiring leader in LIFE Nelson Mandela—a photographic biography and Special Edition featuring unforgettable images and insightful text from the editors of LIFE. Follow Mandela throughout his lifelong fight against apartheid and injustice, his 27 years of imprisonment at Robben Island and Pollsmoor, and his triumphant victories as both the first democratically elected president of South Africa and as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Dozens of historical photographs show him as a resistance leader with the African National Congress, at his trials, during his time in prison, and in his later years with other world leaders, including Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu, just to name a few. For decades, readers have turned to LIFE to see, understand, and remember the most important events and people of our time. Let Nelson Mandela show you the remarkable life of an enduring symbol of hope and equality.

No name is more synonymous with suave sophistication and danger than James Bond. And no actor filled the spy''s black calf oxfords more often-or with quite the eyebrow-up charm-than the late Roger Moore. Witty and stylish, Moore, who died in May 2017, embodied the spirit of Ian Fleming''s globe-trotting secret agent in Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and five other 007 classics. In LIFE Bond. James Bond we pay tribute to this iconic star and all of the agents who came before and after him-the seminal Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. A special section on the history of the Bond franchise provides rare photographs from on the set and off and yields inside intelligence on each film''s behind-the-scenes politics, business deals, and casting calls. Plus: an essay by TIME''s acclaimed film and culture critic Richard Corliss examines how Bond reflects and influences the world at large. No matter who your favorite 007 is or which 007 film you like the best, LIFE Bond. James Bond delivers.

Presents one hundred picture puzzles in which readers must either spot the ten differences between two nearly identical pictures or reassemble a picture that has been cut up and put together incorrectly, in levels ranging from novice to genius.

The truth about espionage goes much deeper than the Bond types that fill our big screen. Mary Queen of Scots, the Man in the Iron Mask, Mata Hari, the Enigma machine, the CIA, Watergate, and WikiLeaks: Spies and spying have rewritten human history and now affect how we all live. With sections on codes and cryptography, moles and double agents, wiretapping, detectives, and even the age-old art of seduction, this fascinating book reveals the true stories of the bold spies who-whether motivated by patriotism, greed, or a love of adventure-risked everything. Rare and remarkable photos from the archives of LIFE magazine, plus illuminating text, make this a compelling read for anyone with an interest in the practiced-and powerful-art of deception.

From Hoboken to Hollywood, Frank Sinatra was always a larger-than-life package of talent, charisma and controversy. Singers had been big before, but there had never been a sensation like the young Sinatra. This title presents the pictures, narrative, and memories of the life and times of Francis Albert Sinatra.

Disney World is often referred to as the "happiest place on earth" and the character Mickey Mouse is long ingrained in our collective memory. The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest and most valuable companies in the world. But behind all of that was one ambitious small-town farm boy who failed as often as he succeeded, and finally found worldwide fame - thanks to a cartoon mouse. Throughout the rise of Walt Disney, LIFE magazine was there, covering everything from the first Mickey merchandising to the launch of Walt Disney World in 1971, and now in this all-new special edition, LIFE revisits both the man and the magic in LIFE Walt Disney: From Mickey to the Magic Kingdom. Very few people know that as a young entrepreneur, he struggled with bankruptcy, borrowing money until he had a hit with the Mickey Mouse cartoons in the late 1920s. Beloved movies of today - Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi - bombed when first released, and it wasn''t until the astronomical success of Disneyland in 1951 that finally put his company into the black. From early days to troubled times, and successes and failures too numerous to count that bring us all to the World of Disney that we all know and love today, LIFE Walt Disney is a fitting tribute to a creative force that has and will continue to influence countless generations for years to come.

Travel back to the future with dozens of 1980s favorites Before the internet, in the days of Rubik''s Cubes, the Iran-Contra scandal, and Wall Street''s booms and busts, movies captured the spirit of our times. Now you can revisit those great films with LIFE Movies of the 1980s, packed with glowing photos and behind-the-scenes stories from the pages of Life magazine.

The editors at LIFE vigorously carry on the traditions of excellence in photography, in journalism, and in telling the story of our country and our world which began with LIFE magazine in 1936 by founding editor and publisher, Henry R. Luce. They have published books on a broad range of subjects, including New York Times bestsellers One Nation, LIFE Picture Puzzle and The American Journey of Barack Obama.

Since LIFE invented the Picture Puzzle book years ago, the popular series has now reached its 16th book. We think that''s absolutely wild. And so, we thought, why not call this one Wild & Wacky? As always, LIFE''s editors choose the most colorful and lively pictures, and with a title like Wild & Wacky, readers will be sure to see some fun, crazy, sometimes weird and always entertaining photos. This activity book is set up so that there are enjoyable tests for every level of player, from the kids who are tackling their first-ever puzzle to the old masters who have met every challenge in our first 15 books. We know what our loyal book-buyers want from us, and we deliver it again in this latest book in the Picture Puzzle series.

The editors who produced the hot-selling commemoratives of the Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and the massive volume of Robert Whitaker''s Beatles photography continue their vastly successful series of books on the Beatles by paying tribute to Sir Paul. He has been the world''s biggest star for a half century, and LIFE was there when he first came on the scene, and following. This volume will feature exclusive, rarely seen photography and commentary by Harry Benson, who shot the lads'' pillow fight in Paris in 1963, Paul and Linda on the farm after the break-up of the Beatles, and much more. Also included will be a enjoyable report on Paul today by John Pizzarelli, the esteemed jazz guitarist recruited by Sir Paul for the 2012 "Kisses on the Bottom" recording.

LIFE The Loves of Marilyn is the definitive book on Marilyn Monroe''s romantic past, told through rare and iconic photography as well as captivating narrative. Central to Marilyn''s mystique has always been her love life - filled with rumors, romantic entanglements and multiple marriages, all before she died prematurely at the age of 36. Within its pages, LIFE captured everything from her flirtations with co-stars to her genuine affection for her husbands to her tragic divorces. All three of her marriages (two famously to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller), ended in divorce, and she was rumored to have multiple affairs, including one with JFK. LIFE was in its heyday in the 1950''s and 60''s, when Marilyn was at the peak of her fame. In ten years (between 1952 and 1962) LIFE put her on the cover six times. Had she lived, she might well have challenged Liz Taylor''s supremacy and her close connection to LIFE magazine. From famous pictures such as Marilyn singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy to lesser known shots such as those from her divorce proceedings with Joe DiMaggio, this book provides fans of Marilyn Monroe with a definitive summary of her many romances, glamorous life, and tragic end.

When LIFE published the first edition of this book in 2010, Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop User magazine (and a guru in the world of digital shooting), wrote, "Joe McNally has put together the LIFE Guide to Digital Photography, which is packed full of tips, tricks, how-to, and beautiful pictures from Joe''s thirty-plus-year photo career. If you''ve ever experienced one of Joe''s workshops or seminars, you know he''s a fantastic teacher, and this book is an extension of that. While he does write about the basics of photography, if you know Joe, you know that he''s found a way to work his own sense of humor and familiarity in with all the nuts and bolts to make it an entertaining read." Thousands of photo fans agreed, and eagerly joined Joe on his happy journey through the pixelated world of modern-day photography. In so doing, they learned from one of LIFE''s master shooters-in fact, the final in the long line of distinguished LIFE staff photographers-who encouraged them that, with a little preparation and care, with a dash of enthusiasm and daring, anyone can make a better photo: Anyone can turn a "keeper" into a treasure. It has since become clear to Joe and the editors of LIFE that their Guide to Digital Photography was built to last-that its tips and tone had struck a chord with photography enthusiasts everywhere. One thing it wasn''t, however, was built to fit in your camera bag when you were heading into the field. Now it is! Here''s the digest-sized version, filled with the same wonderful collection of McNally photography, beautifully illustrating the points Joe is making. Everything you need to know about light and lenses, about color or composition, is in these pages. And now, when you''re just about to click and you wonder "What would Joe advise?" the answer is at your fingertips.

LIFE Around the World takes you on a journey to the most fascinating destinations around the globe - from England to France and off to India - every page is a new adventure. Color the world your way.

Picture Puzzle books have become a bona fide phenomenon in the game-book field, and the frenzy was launched by LIFE. LIFE Books ignited the Picture Puzzle craze with it first New York Times bestseller several years ago (replacing Suduko at Number One), and the franchise is still going strong. Though competitors have crowded the field, our books have continued to succeed. There''s a reason. They''re the authentic item. They''re the best. And here, we give you the biggest puzzle book we''ve ever published: The Big Book of Picture Puzzle a collection of puzzles that is three times the size of our standard picture puzzle books! Open this book and the TV turns off, dinner is delayed, bedtimes are pushed later. Everyone from Grandma to the kids loves Picture Puzzles. In this puzzle book, as the previous ones, LIFE''s editors and puzzle master choose the best photography and set up the book to make certain that there are terrific, entertaining tests for every level of player, from the kids who are tackling their first-ever puzzle to the old masters who have met every challenge in our earlier books. On sale in late October, The Big Book of Picture Puzzle makes for the perfect holiday gift.

In the beloved, best-selling LIFE Picture Puzzle series, the puzzle masters now travel the globe to find the most engaging pictures.With puzzles that will lure first-time players as well as ones that will daunt the most experienced puzzle masters, this special LIFE Picture Puzzle book is sure to delight players of all ages whether traveling or sitting on the living room couch.

The movie audience respects talent but revels in charisma, and is always ready to elevate a star who is as much as character off the screen as on it. Ever since he came to the attention of the American public in the 1960s, Jack Nicholson has been the whole package. But who among us really knows the man who smiles that wicked grin from behind the darkest of shades? His generation''s Mr. Hollywood, a fixture next to the Los Angeles Lakers bench, is in fact a native New Yorker: the son of a showgirl, born in the city in 1937 and raised largely by his grandmother so that Jack''s mom could continue her career as a hoofer. Starting out, he appeared in B-movies directed by Roger Corman, then burst through in the counter-culture classic Easy Rider. Immediately, his abilities were recognized in dramas, comedies, anything — and the awards and nominations began to pile up (he''s been nominated for a dozen Academy Awards and has won three). Meantime, his rascal''s persona and happily loose social life provided another kind of delicious entertainment; he has, down the decades, spent as much of his career in front of still cameras (often LIFE''s) as he has on the set. If you want to know Jack, and enjoy his colorful life in all its ever-blazing glory, this latest, lavishly illustrated edition in LIFE''s new Icons series is the book for you. LIFE Icons celebrates the larger-than-life figures among us, and none is larger than Jack Nicholson.

The title says it all: This is the original, the best, the most fun, the most visually splendid — the only essential — picture puzzle series and it is now in it''s 11th volume. When LIFE invented Picture Puzzle books a few years ago with the Number One New York Times bestseller, it was followed on the charts by a succession of fan favorites such as Picture Puzzle: Vacations and Picture Puzzle: Holidays. We knew full well that imitators would flatter us with competing volumes. And they did. But LIFE''s fans know where the best photography comes from and who has the Puzzle Master capable of entertaining his players on every page. That is why this remains The Essential Picture Puzzle. As always, LIFE''s editors choose the most colorful and lively pictures, and set up the book to make certain that there are terrific, enjoyable tests for every level of player, from the kids who are tackling their first-ever puzzle to the old masters who have met every challenge in our first 10 books. We know what our loyal book-buyers want from us, and we again deliver. Having launched the Picture Puzzle craze and having now done 10 successful Picture Puzzle books, we asked ourselves: What should be the title of Number 11? Finally, it is what we are to puzzlers across the land: The Essential.

They weren''t the original bad boys — Humphrey Bogart''s Rat Pack of nocturnal revelers came before Frank Sinatra''s — but they were the famous ones: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and a host of hangers-on and wannabes, male and female. In Las Vegas, a city that really did never sleep, and in Hollywood, where they teamed up in matinee movies highlighted by the original Ocean''s Eleven, they cut quite a swath through the ''60s: a martini-fueled "adult" answer to the Beatles and all else that was happening. LIFE was there to document all of the fun and frolic. John Dominis was sent out on the Sinatra beat, and grew to know and appreciate the singer, an avocational photographer who eventually allowed Dominis into his world — the world of the Rat Pack. Dominis''s hundreds of images are, today, something of an historical or sociological document. So many stars from so many spheres were at table with the core of "the clan" (as the boys actually called themselves): Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Gleason, Bing Crosby, President Kennedy, maybe the mob. They are all in this book, as are other Rat Pack intrigues: Sinatra expelling Lawford or Davis for perceived slights, the raucous hotel parties at the Sands and elsewhere. The sixties were swinging indeed when the Rat Pack was in town. In this volume, the Pack is back.

LIFE commemorates the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor photographs - many exclusive to LIFE in this lavishly illustrated collector''s edition. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire stunned the world with a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Commemorating this momentous historical event which brought the United States into World War II, LIFE revisits the infamous scene in beautifully illustrated photographs: the years leading up to 1941, Lindbergh''s antiwar rallies, the desperate scene in Europe and at Winston Churchill''s 10 Downing Street, and the Japanese admiral who realized he awoke a sleeping giant. Highlights include "The Call to Action," LIFE''s actual pages in the 10 weeks after the attack, as America mobilized and went to war, and a concluding chapter that covers today''s modern tensions in the waters of the Far East.

Army. Navy. Marine Corps. Air Force. From the founding of the nation to the march through Afghanistan, they have preserved, protected and defended American liberty. Their gallantry is stirring to behold, as the pictures and stories in this book prove. George Washington and John Paul Jones are here, as are Grant, Lee, Farragut, Pershing, Patton, Schwarzkopf. There are surprises (Washington led the Army into battle even as President) and stunning stories of bravery (including chronicles of Medal of Honor heroism). The great war photographers — Brady, Capa, LIFE''s David Douglas Duncan and Larry Burrows — are represented in The Power and the Glory, accompanied by a dramatic narrative of American valor. In a special section, the bicentennial of West Point is celebrated.

From the popular " Life Picture Puzzle" series, comes the next in the series, with 176 pages of all new brainteasers, this book is sure to delight the legions of fans who made the first edition a run- away bestseller and who turn to the puzzle page of 13 million copies of " Life Magazine" each week. Once again, the puzzles are categorized according to level of difficulty: novice, master, expert. And genius, with a suggested completion time included for serious puzzlers. From dedicated puzzlers who sent the first edition onto the bestseller lists in its very first week to beginners who have never tried them before, the " Life Amazing Picture Puzzle" will definitely become a must-have for all players.

When LIFE''s editors looked back on our long history of picture puzzle (LIFE invented the craze a few years ago — and other publishers followed), we realized it''s "absolute madness" that we''re on our 16th book in the series. And so we thought — what better title for our newest puzzle book? As always, LIFE''s editors choose the most colorful and lively pictures and this time — with a title like Madness — readers will be sure to see the craziest, most vivid photos we''ve ever selected. This activity book is set up so that there are terrific, enjoyable tests for every level of player, from the kids who are tackling their first-ever puzzle to the old masters who have met every challenge in our first ten books. We know what our loyal book-buyers want from us, and we again deliver in this sixteenth book in the Picture Puzzle series.

The Trapp family was real, and they really sang. We visit the Austria of the late 1930s, and with LIFE photography document the situation that led to their flight. We re-visit the Trapps at their lodge in Stowe, Vermont, where they have been famous locals since the 1960s. We delve into the world of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the legendary Broadway team. We look at the stage origins of "The Sound of Music" (it was supposed to be a straight play, not a musical!), and the mammoth success of the first Broadway production starring Mary Martin (three million soundtrack lps sold!) And of course we go behind the scenes on the film and its launch, as only LIFE could do in 1965, and as only LIFE Books is able to do today. In a special chapter, LIFE will present a side-by-side chronicle of what The Sound of Music claims, and what really happened during the earliest days of World War II - illustrated photographically. And, for all of those die-hard buffs out there, there will be a trivia chapter!

The editors who brought you the New York Time best-seller Pope John Paul II bring you this book, which follows John Paul II and John XXIII from their humble beginnings all the way through their sainthood. It is fitting that both John Paul the II - one of the foremost historical and religious figures in recent history - and John XXIII will be canonized in April 2014 as the two men were linked by Vatican II (John as a sponsor, Wojtyla as a wunderkind). This commemorative edition will also include photography from the canonization ceremonies and observations and a section on 2013-an eventful year in the Catholic Church-introducing Pope Francis, and covering Pope Benedict''s move.

This second " Life Picture Puzzle" book has even more puzzle fun than the first! There is 32 more pages and the puzzles are a larger size. There are two new types of puzzles to keep you on your toes. The Cut-Ups will test your skill at unscrambling a photo that we have clipped into pieces and then shuffled around. To create the new LIFE Classic Puzzles, we dipped into " LIFE''s" world-famous photo archives of thousands of great black-and white images.

To launch our new line of LIFE books celebrating legendary figures in our world, who better than Clint Eastwood? He is an icon among icons, a titanic figure in movie history still going strong at age 82. The recent dustup over his "Halftime in America" ad during the Super Bowl only confirms how large Eastwood looms in the American imagination: He is a Will Rogers or John Wayne walking among us. Clinton Eastwood Jr. was born in San Francisco, and nothing about him might have presaged his future except for rugged good looks. Those alone were enough to get him a supporting role in the TV series "Rawhide" in 1959. LIFE magazine was a weekly chronicler of Hollywood at the time, and we have been on the Eastwood case ever since: the spaghetti westerns (A Fistful of Dollars, etc.); the Dirty Harry movies; the directorial efforts, beginning with Play Misty for Me and right up through Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino; even the sideline jobs-his love of jazz piano and his career as a composer; his nonpartisan mayoralty of his chosen California town, Carmel-by-the-Sea. LIFE has visited Eastwood at home and even played golf with him on his own course overlooking the Pacific, and this will be an up-close-and-personal look at a man who is, perhaps as much as any American, too often seen as mere symbol. LIFE''s new book series, ICONS, will present the famous in a way that allows our readers to know these people-often in a way they had never known them before.

Everyone likes to solve a puzzle, especially when murder and mayhem are on the line. We''ll set up the scene for you to solve whether it be real life photos you''ve never seen before, images from actual crime scenes and forensic laboratories, pictures of the favorite haunts of notorious criminals, as well as clips from your favorite movies and TV shows - but you''ll have to find the clues hidden in the Spot-the-Difference puzzles. With puzzles that will lure first time players as well as ones that will daunt the most experienced puzzle masters, LIFE Picture Puzzle Mysteries is sure to delight players of all ages.

Probably the most famous combat photographs ever made were those taken on the beach in Normandy during the D-Day invasions by Robert Capa, shooting for LIFE and going in with the first wave. The saga of those images has been told before and will be again in this commemorative book: How Capa got out alive (he would later be killed while covering war in Southeast Asia), how he got his film back to London for transfer to New York, how most of his images were ruined and the 11 frames that survived had taken on a grainy quality that seemed to reflect the shaking beach under German bombardment, and even how Steven Spielberg used that look to inform the first half-hour of his classic film Saving Private Ryan. Armed with two cameras, LIFE''s Capa volunteered to hit the French coast, code-named Omaha Beach, with the first wave of 1st Division soldiers, and later remembered (in the kind of first-hand testimony that will fill this book) bullets tearing "holes in the water around him," and then what he saw as an idyllic shoreline becoming "the ugliest beach in the world." Henry Luce, looking back, said LIFE had not been born as a war magazine in 1936, but that world events made it one — it was necessary for the people at home to see what was really happening over there. By the time 1.5 million American servicemen and women were squeezing into Southern England in advance of 1944''s Operation Overlord invasions, a sizable battalion of LIFE photographers was among them. If Capa''s pictures became the most famous, there were so many others by Landry, Morse, Silk and more. America looked to LIFE to tell the story 70 years ago, and will do so again in this book.