The exhibit will have extremely rare home videos of Audrey in Rome, as well as personal and paparazzi photos of her – the paparazzi often mailed Audrey the photos they had taken of her – and when possible, the very clothes she was wearing in those pictures will be on display as well. For those who have seen Timeless Audrey, it sounds like there will be enough new material to make this exhibit worth your while, and if you haven’t yet seen Timeless Audrey, then here’s a sneak preview for you!

Information is still trickling in at this point, but I can give you some basics, plus a lot of lovely links to look through. The Italian branch of UNICEF, which is working with The Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, has a new mini-site up about Audrey’s work with UNICEF and the exhibit, which you can see here. 25% of ticket proceeds will go towards UNICEF Italy’s ongoing mission in Chad, Africa. Not only that, but there will be a special card designed just for this Italian exhibit, and the purchase of this card turns into a donation for a course of vitamins and minerals for a malnourished child – though if you can’t make it to the exhibit but would still like to help in the name of Audrey, you can buy the card online here. A really lovely blog that’s heavy on pictures has been set up on Tumblr, so if you’re already on there, it’ll be very easy for you to follow and get a daily dose of Audrey. You may also read more about the intentions behind the exhibit, and Sean and Luca’s thoughts on it, on the Children’s Fund website here. And while I don’t have a link yet for this last bit, I can tell you that a picture book called Audrey A Roma (Audrey In Rome) will be on sale at the exhibit and elsewhere, designed by Audrey’s son Luca Dotti. It will be in Italian bookstores and the Italian Amazon, but before you complain, word is that the book is being translated into English, French and German, and will be released sooner rather than later! Stay tuned.

As for the details … if you can make it to the exhibit, here’s what you need to know: The exhibit is at the Ara Pacis Museum Lungotevere in Augusta, Rome, and runs every day but Mondays from 9am to 7pm (no entries after 6pm). Admission is 10€, but discounts can be had, and there are certain cases for free admission.

Next week the sweetest children’s book is coming out, Just Being Audrey. I’m sure some of you have already heard about it, but if not, just look at how darling it is. I love the illustrations so much, don’t you? If you do, click here to go to the illustrator’s blog and see a few more pictures from the book, which she was kind enough to share from her advance copy of the book.

The book is 32 pages and illustrated quite a lot, and is ideally for the 4-8 year old age range, but of course that won’t stop any of us, will it? I think it would make a lovely little coffee table book to have laying out, and your guests could learn about Audrey in 10 minutes flat. If you do know any children, even better, as the pictures will captivate them and the text is simple enough to get Audrey’s life story across to anyone, whether they like reading or not.

I think, to make up for my spotty updates, I should give away a couple of copies of this book. It’s just so cute and I want to share the cuteness, and I do feel bad for not being around more often lately. Would you be okay with a contest to win a copy?

Edit: Just found a beautiful trailer for the book with loads more illustrations. I’m completely in love.

I’ve just stumbled across an interview with Sam Wasson on Huffington Post, author of the new book Fifth Avenue, 5 AM. I know I’ve featured this book quite a few times already, and even an interview or two with the author, but I think this one in particular deserves some attention because it gives far more light into the book and why it was written than any other article I’ve read so far. It’s a good read, fairly short but entertaining and packed with information, and it also features the Breakfast at Tiffany’s trailer that yours truly posted on YouTube a few years ago.

I shall be getting a copy soon to review for you, but in the meantime, has anyone read it or at least flipped through it in the bookstore? What are your thoughts?

There’s a new picture book on Audrey coming out November 2, and it’s called Audrey 100. The premise? The 100 greatest pictures of Audrey Hepburn, as compiled by her son Sean Ferrer. What this means? Rare or private pictures, seen for the first time! The book is co-authored by Ellen (Erwin) Fontana, the director of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, who was also behind what I consider the best book out there on Audrey, The Audrey Hepburn Treasures.

While information is still trickling out, I can tell you that the book is slated for a release date of November 2, that it comes in at just under 200 pages, that it comes with a 9×11 photograph for framing, and that full retail price is $40 (though you can get it for less if you know where to look, of course). And, like Treasures before it, sales will benefit the Children’s Fund.

Excited yet? There’s more. You can pre-order through Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and you can even take a lovely virtual tour of the book here.

- Our Dutch friend Joop says that dear Audrey was recently voted the most beautiful woman ever, which is quite an achievement! Lovely picture and short story (in Dutch) here.

- A dress from Funny Face recently went up for auction and was sold for the impressive price of $56,250.00, though I can’t seem to find which dress it is. Anyone? You can read more here. (From Kendal)

- And finally, an article on how Audrey Hepburn shaped sex. It’s an interview with Sam Wasson, author of the new Fifth Avenue, 5 AM book, and the interview was done at Café Audrey in Hollywood, a place where I’ve spent quite a bit of time! You can read the interview here, but be warned that Sam drops the F-bomb towards the end.

(at Café Audrey in 2008)

A few years ago they released Audrey Hepburn (Movie Icons), one of the best little picture books I have ever seen, and now they’re at it again. This time it’s a monster collection of Bob Willoughby’s work with Audrey, spanning 13 years, in a gorgeous hardcover book with a Tiffany blue spine. But there’s a catch: the book is limited to a run of 1,000 (with an extra 200 artist’s proofs), and they’re priced at a pre-order sale of $500. After September 30th, the price jumps to $700 (€500, or £450). I’m dying here. I was just saying how much I love books on Audrey, and I especially love picture books on her. But oh, even I can’t justify that price! And I certainly can’t afford it. Quel dommage. Who wouldn’t love a book that beautiful?

If any of you are ever lucky enough to own a copy, please let us know what it’s like! For now, we shall content ourselves with a virtual tour of the book, showcasing 100 pages, on Taschen’s website. (Information via Amazon and Taschen, along with a lovely writeup on Wayneford’s Posterous that is worth reading.)