James Dean: The Mutant King is an exceptional biography. It presents the complete story of James Dean's life based on lengthy research and interviews with people he worked with, his family, friends and many lovers, as well as his work in television, the theatre and cinema, with particular emphasis on the filming of East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. But most of all it defines the way James Dean himself mutated from farmer's boy to star, creating his own myth and becoming one of the most enduring symbols of post-war youth culture. David Dalton's book has already achieved the status of cult. Not only is it an authoritative biography of the archetypal modern hero, but it is also a visionary, enigmatic insight to a figure whose early death ensured his durability in the minds of the young.