LUCY & DESI: A Real-Life Scrapbook of America's Favorite TV Couple

When they died, entertaining legends Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball left behind more than 100 scrapbooks filled with letters, notes, cards, telegrams, photos and other mementos. Much of that material contributed to a documentary and CD-ROM on the couple, and some of it made it into this kitschy collection. It's right up a trivia buff's alley, whether she fancies the personal (a speeding ticket Lucy got in 1940; the couple's marriage certificate from the same year) or the professional (a clipping from Life magazine's October 6, 1958, issue exclaiming "Arnaz and Ball Take Over As Tycoons" when the duo bought RKO-PathéStudios). The reproduced images have an aged look (newspaper articles are yellowed and sometimes marked with the remnants of Scotch tape), but the inclusion of numerous pull-out facsimile artifacts are what make the book unique. A small card tucked into a slot on one page announces the March 29, 1953, christening of son Desiderio Alberto; a pamphlet illustrates how to do La Conga, the "latest dance creation as done by Diosa Costello & Desi Arnaz"; and a 1989 note from Clint Eastwood to Lucy's second husband, Gary Morton, expresses the star's sympathy after Lucy's death. It's a welcoming, intimate and mostly upbeat tribute, and Edwards's decision to portray everything in Lucy and Desi's own words adds to the personal feel. (Oct.)