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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: A Critical Edition

Editions, Sequels, and Adaptations

In addition to the two published editions of Blondes in 1925, Loos’s novel was almost immediately the basis of numerous adaptations to other media, a sequel, and further adaptations over the decades. The timeline below allows you to browse through these works in chronological order. Dates are as specific as possible, drawing from newspaper and magazine coverage of new releases in the period. In the case of works published as a series, the date of the first installment is used. Each work is represented by an image from the work or the marketing. The images are suggestive of similarities and differences in the aesthetics of Blondes as it moved across media and time: for example the flapper aesthetic of the twenties is supplanted by showgirl costumes upon the revival in the Channing stage play and Monroe film.

These editions, sequels, and adaptations were all authorized and most had Loos’s involvement, with a few exceptions as noted.

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Anita Loos wrote the word bubbles for this strip of Blondes which ran in various newspapers starting as early as late spring 1926. Many of the individual strips are based on exact or adapted dialogue from the book. Others depict moments that do not exist in the novel but relate to moments readers would recognize. The artist is not indicated beyond being part of the syndication group, but the drawings clearly seek to replicate both particular Barton illustrations and Barton’s portrayal of particular characters. This strip shows the first installment, where Lorelei sits on the couch thinking, echoing in a simpler style the second Barton illustration from the novel. Each strip came with a unique parenthetical subtitle related to the content.
Loos wrote a sequel to Blondes, again with Barton providing illustrations for installments in Harper’s Bazar running from May 1926 to February 1927. After an opening focused on Lorelei’s new life and a satire of the Algonquin Round Table humorists, the chapters provide Lorelei’s version of Dorothy’s life story. As with the issue kicking off the new title shown here, the covers for Bazar during the run of Brunettes regularly featured Loos’s name on the cover, reflecting her name recognition at a moment when Blondes was still appearing on the best-sellers lists.