I'm going to list Mailer's books chronologically. Here's his first, most famous, and probably most conventional book. Very powerful, and an amazing achievement for a 25-year old.

Hollywood elite lounge around a fashionable Californian resort. I don't rate this amongst his better novels.

Hard-to-find, and not really worth the effort unless you're a completist. Proof that poetry isn't really Norman's forte.

NOT a war novel - Vietnam is mentioned only on the final page! Instead, this is a parable concerning an Alaskan hunting trip. Short, rich in humour and offbeat slang, this is a personal favourite.

Much of Mailer's '60s work remains out of print. If you become a fan, try tracking down this one, or the underrated A Fire On The Moon (about the Apollo mission).

There are better, if less idiosyncratic, Monroe biographies. And there are certainly better Mailer books. Glossy, a bit vapid, and not really worth the trouble.

Is this the classic it's cracked up to be? Mailer's most self-effacing book is huge, exhaustive, and exhausting. But I actually prefer Capote's In Cold Blood. Still, it's very popular.

After Ancient Evenings, Mailer knocked off this pulp pastiche quickie. Surprisingly, it's one of his most engaging and slyly humorous novels. An underrated treat.

Is any subject matter more tired or over-analysed? Still, Mailer brings some freshness and weight to this Oswald biography, and concludes there was no conspiracy - he acted alone.

I confess I haven't read this study of Picasso, who Mailer obviously views as a bit of a kindred spirit. Nicely illustrated, and maybe an alternative to the John Richardson volumes on Picasso.

Here's another I haven't got round to reading yet. But I'm confident this recent (2003) account of US foreign policy is sure to be of interest.

...and this one, from 1976. Both are pretty insightful.

And finally....Mailer actually directed this cheesy, campy film adaptation of his own novel. The book is great, but unfortunately the movie sucks.