Discover the story of the pioneering hairstylist who obliterated the once-omnipresent hat and transformed the fashion industry through his A-list clients at his iconic 54th Street Salon. Kenneth Battelle, known simply as "Kenneth," started his 50-year career in the early 1950s in New York City and built a loyal client list who swore by his skills, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Countess Consuelo Crespi, Diana Vreeland, Lucille Ball, and Gloria Vanderbilt. This biography not only celebrates his extraordinary talent but examines his behind-the-scenes life and career struggles, including the disastrous fire that destroyed his salon, and his perseverance moving forward. Through personal memories of those closest to him, including friends, clients, and former employees, the man who created a cult of classic, timeless ladies comes to life. Previously unpublished photographs, notes, clippings, and original Joe Eula illustrations richly exhibit both his myriad achievements and America's 20th-century high-fashion scene.

As seen on The View and Good Morning America! If you think Joan Rivers said funny, outrageous, and ridiculous things ONSTAGE, wait 'til you read the funny, outrageous, and ridiculous things she said OFFSTAGE...things that will make you laugh out loud...and keep Melissa in therapy for the foreseeable future. The only thing my mother loved more than making people laugh was lying...or as she'd say, "embellishing." Her motto was: "Why let the truth ruin a good story?" This book contains some of those stories. ***************** "When Joan told a story, the truth disappeared faster than I did." - Jimmy Hoffa "If you thought Dante's Inferno was hot, read Lies My Mother Told Me; it's a five-alarmer." - Dante's second wife, Allie "Twelve of my twenty-six personalities loved this book." - Sybil "The words on the page absolutely crackle and spark; I burned my fingers reading it!" - Annie Sullivan "The Bible may be the good book, but Lies My Mother Told Me is way funnier." - Matthew 2:14 The Jets. 7 "Lies My Mother Told Me is the feel-good book of 2022." - Torquemada "All's not well that ends well. I've had massages with happier endings." - Wm. Shakespeare "Melissa, I don't care what your mother said in this book, I LOVE your bangs." - Mamie Eisenhower "Lies My Mother Told Me is so funny even those 'woke' m***********s will laugh." - Lenny Bruce

The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback, is a hilarious and inspiring tribute to the iconic comedian Joan Rivers by the person who knew her best--her daughter, Melissa.

Joan and Melissa had one of the most celebrated mother-daughter relationships of all time. Her love for her daughter knew no bounds--or boundaries, apparently. ("Melissa, I acknowledge that you have boundaries. I just choose to not respect them.") In The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief, and Manipulation, Melissa shares stories (like when she was nine months old and her parents delivered her to Johnny Carson as a birthday gift), bons mots ("Missy, is there anything better than seeing a really good-looking couple pushing a baby that looks like a Sasquatch who got caught in a house fire?"), and life lessons from growing up in the Rosenberg-Rivers household ("I can do tips and discounts and figure out the number of gay men in an audience to make it a good show. That's all the math you'll ever need."). These were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to life in the family that Melissa describes as more Addams than Cleaver. And at the center of it all was a tiny blond force of nature.

In The Book of Joan, Melissa Rivers relates funny, poignant, and irreverent observations, thoughts, and tales about the woman who raised her (and is the reason she considers Valium one of the four basic food groups).