Today, Richard Avedon is recalled as a major artist, but during his lifetime he was condescendingly dismissed as a "celebrity photographer." In this "expert, comprehensive, and sensitive biography" (Booklist), Philip Gefter chronicles Avedon's coming-of-age in New York between the world wars, and his work for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, which transformed the ideals of women's fashion. Illustrated with 16 pages of photos, this biography shows how Avedon finally achieved recognition with a 1970s retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while exploring his friendships with Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, James Baldwin, Sidney Lumet, and Mike Nichols.