Valley of the dolls

Before Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham, Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets, high-powered industrialists and the jet-set. Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published, fifty years ago.

Never had a book been so frank about sex, drugs and show business.

It is often sited as the bestselling novel of all time. Dolls - red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight.

For Anne, Neely and Jennifer, it doesn't matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach.

These three beautiful women become best friends when they are young and in New York, struggling to make their names in the entertainment industry.

Only when they reach the peak of their careers do they find there's nowhere left to go but down - to the Valley of the Dolls.