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From Tallulah Bankhead to Joan Crawford to the Kennedys and Madonna, the ultimate insider, Liz Smith has hobnobbed, air-kissed, and lunched with just about everybody who's been anybody over the last half-century--and then rushed to tell the world all about it. Now, in this candid, down-to-earth autobiography, she tells all about herself, and does it with the kind of style and warmth that has made her one of the most widely read columnists in history. Liz Smith wasn't always famous, and in Natural Blonde she reveals how a young woman from rural Texas came to New York hell-bent on making something of her life. From her salad days as a small-time reporter and proofreader to her triumphs at the Daily News, Newsday, New York Post and her 1995 Emmy for Reporting, Liz tells what it is really like to be seen and heard by millions of people every day. One of the most quoted people of our time, she offers a rare, private peek into the real person behind the witty quips and media coverage. Certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated autobiographies in years, Natural Blonde will give Liz Smith readers the item they've been waiting for--the ultimate inside scoop from the Grande Dame of Dish.

About the Author: Liz Smith is a Texan who grew up worshipping the likes of Tom Mix and his horse Tony as well as Astaire and Rogers at the movies. She wrote her first column after listening to Walter Winchell on the radio and went on to create a gossip pillar at the University of Texas, where she studied journalism. In late 1949 she arrived in New York City with only $50 to her name and no ticket home. Early jobs with Mike Wallace at CBS Radio, Allen Funt on Candid Camera and as the ghostwriter for the famous Cholly Knickerbocker Hearst society column put her right in the media mix. She also was a memorable writer-editor for Sports Illustrated and Cosmopolitan. Her bylined column has appeared daily since 1976 and is syndicated to millions of readers in over 70 newspapers. A champion of literacy and the fight against AIDS, she has raised millions for these causes. She won the Matrix Award for Journalism and an Emmy Award for TV Reporting at WNBC. Liz has been in Vanity Fair's Hall of Fame, endured the Playboy Q&A and answered the Proust questionnaire. She was recently named a Living Landmark by the Landmarks Conservancy of New York.

Written & audio book narrated by Liz Smith - Abridged Nonfiction - 5 COMPACT DISCS - 6 hours

Publisher, Random House Audiobooks (September 2000)