Irving Berlin; A Daughter's Memoir
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. First Printing. Hardcover. 25 cm, 320 pages. Illustrations. Index. Slight wear to DJ edges. Biography of the composer and the tragic years his wife Ellin Mackay endured after being disowned by her Catholic father. Mary Ellin Barrett (née Berlin; born November 25, 1926) is an American writer and the oldest daughter of Ellin (née Mackay) and composer Irving Berlin. She grew up in New York City, where she attended the Brearley School. She then went to Barnard College, majoring in music. After graduation, she began to work for Time Magazine, where she met her future husband, Marvin Barrett. Mary Ellin was the book critic for Cosmopolitan Magazine, where she worked very closely with Helen Gurley Brown. Barrett is the author of three novels: Castle Ugly was published in 1966, followed by An Accident of Love in 1973 and American Beauty in 1981. Her most recent publication is a memoir entitled Irving Berlin: a Daughter's Memoir. More