From the publisher:

The glamorous denizens of Hollywood in the fifties were doing what the whole of America could only dream about. Los Angeles was the permanently sunny city where the stars came out to play, while the rest of the country eagerly awaited the latest issue of Hollywood Dream Girls to pore over gorgeous in-ups of their favourite icons. When it came to these 'glamour' shots, the man they called Bernard of Hollywood was the best photographer in town. He was a German emigrant, seeing American stars with a fresh eye. He fled before WW II, hopping onto a boat bound for LA instead of Brazil after watching a Clark Gable movie. He was hooked on fame and celebrity, teaching himself into the professional studio game, and helping to school other budding amateurs with his accessible how-to guide (included in this volume).

After the war, America was booming; the films and adverts reflected this new optimism, and Bernard was the lens man of the Technicolor era. He was instrumental in discovering Marilyn Monroe -- and soon became famous himself with his classic collection of the most beautiful women of the time, "Pin-Ups: One Step Beyond."

The stars never shone as brightly as they did under Bernard's light bulbs