Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mondo Barbie | 1993 | Mark Winegardner | Buy |
| 2 | Mondo Elvis | 1994 | Mark Winegardner | Buy |
| 3 | Mondo Marilyn | 1995 | Mark Winegardner | Buy |
| 4 | Mondo James Dean | 1996 | Mark Winegardner | Buy |
The Mondo series is a set of four essay anthologies, each devoted to an American pop-culture figure. Mark Winegardner edited the collection, which started with Mondo Barbie in 1993 and continued through Mondo Elvis, Mondo Marilyn, and Mondo James Dean. Each book brings together writers from different backgrounds to examine what these icons mean in American life.
The series was a product of the 1990s essay boom, when pop-culture criticism was moving from academic journals into mainstream publishing. The Mondo books take a playful but serious approach, mixing humor with genuine analysis. They remain an interesting snapshot of how Americans thought about celebrity and fame in the mid-1990s.