The ragman's son: An autobiography - Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas's skilful and passionate autobiography charts the rise of the son of an illiterate Russian Jewish ragman who became a Hollywood legend. He tells of a childhood of brutal poverty, and the father whose silent, brooding presence had a profound effect on his future.

It reveals too the determination that led him to take on astonishingly diverse roles that few stars would have risked - Spartacus the salve, the mad painter Van Gogh and the conscience-stricken colonel in Paths of Glory.

With unflinching humor and frankness he reveals the inside story of more than forty years of stardom, alongside Sinatra, Wayne and Olivier - and his relationship with movie goddesses like Crawford, Hayworth and Dietrich. 

Rich in unforgettable anecdotes that capture the true spirit of the golden years of Hollywood and Broadway, this is an autobiography that reads like a novel, narrated by the unmistakable voice of a true superstar.