Barbie Coffee Table Book

The illustrated book Barbie by Assouline is from the Classics series and was written by Susan Shapiro. Join us in celebrating Barbie's 65th birthday in a book dedicated to the fascinating story of the world's most popular doll. Created by Ruth Handler, a feminist visionary, Barbie defied 1950s conventions and established a role for women other than that of wife and mother. With an identity outside of her family, Barbie represented a modern departure. Decade after decade, the development of the Barbie doll from 1959 to the present is comprehensively examined with fascinating insights and never-before-seen images. From Marilyn Monroe to Margot Robbie, fashion designers to paramedics, Barbie is the essential guide to an American phenomenon. To date, more than one billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide, coming in a variety of different nationalities, ethnicities and body shapes. In the illustrated book, readers discover not only Barbie's rich history, but also her unique magic: she is a doll with which girls can realize their own fantasies, be it as a doctor, rock star, paleontologist, Olympic gold medalist, major league baseball player, virologist or ecologist.

"My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has."  Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie