​​​​​​​Behold The Valley of the Dolls

by David Mansour 

     "Hundreds of dolls are here to behold. As you gaze upon each you might question, who’s beholding who?" 

~ David Mansour's Behold the Valley of the Dolls

"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, In a quarter of the sky
You are reaching for a cloud, And another way to fly"

​~ Stu Phillips' "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

All the dolls you can handle—and beyond! Eight years in the making, Behold the Valley of the Dolls pays tribute to over 40 years of Barbie, from 1959 to the early-2000s Y2K era. Flowing in chronological order, decade by decade, the book showcases 650 different dolls posed in hundreds of colorfully whimsical, one-of-a-kind portraits. Accompanying the photographs is a playful yet informative narrative, written by David Mansour—collector of 39 years, Barbie fan of 64 years—acclaimed as an “expert” for his extensive knowledge on the Barbie doll.  
Readers will find their favorite vintage dolls here to behold. As they gaze upon each they might question, who’s beholding who? 

     “You’ve got to climb to the top of Mt. Everest to reach the Valley of the Dolls” began Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls, the top-selling book of 1966. 

     Unlike Susann’s wildly popular novel, you won’t find the rise and fall of Hollywood starlets—amidst pill-popping and booze-swigging, catfights and scandal—here. You will find however, dolls. 650 Barbie and Ken dolls—fabulously posed for the camera by an adoring collector who himself has gone totally beyond the Valley of the Dolls.  

“I’m not nutty, I am just hooked on dolls!”
~ Patty Duke as Neely O’Hara in Valley of the Dolls

    Before you make the climb to behold the Valley of the Dolls let’s start at the beginning…

David Mansour’s fascination with Barbie is for a lifetime, which is a longtime as he shares the same birthyear as her boyfriend Ken. In 1987, a birthday gift of Barbie led to a wide collection of dolls and toys, inspiring him to write the book, From ABBA to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. An appearance on the Discovery Channel’s Pop Nation TV show to share his knowledge on Barbie earned him national recognition as a “Barbie Expert.” In 2018, David began photographing his extensive Barbie collection in colorful one-of-a-kind portraits. This eight year photography and research project was the genesis for Behold the Valley of the Dolls. David resides in sunny San Diego, California with husband John Bode, a family of adorable pets, and his Barbie collection.

"Sparkle, Barbie, Sparkle!"