As the 50^th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death approaches in 2012, Taschen has created a unique biography by pairing Norman Mailer’s 1973 bio Marilyn with Bert Stein’s intimate portraits of the actress from a Vogue photo shoot just six weeks before her death. The homage — simply titled Norman Mailer, Bert Stern: Marilyn Monroe — takes the works of two great American artists and investigates the allure of one of the greatest sex symbols of all time. The book provides an up close and personal account of Monroe’s life that is sure to satisfy fervent fans of the late bombshell. Limited to around 1,500 in several editions and languages, it is now available for $1,000.

Check out one more gallery of Marilyn after the Jump…