Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House

From Library Journal
Hearst Castle in San Simeon, now a California state park, offers a glimpse of the high life lead by William Randolph Hearst. Though originally planned as a small bungalow at the family's favorite campsite, Hearst's building project grew and grew. Julia Morgan, the renowned San Francisco architect, gracefully coped with the continuous revisions to the project. Hearst had a love of art and style and the money to follow his fancy. Kastner, a member of the Hearst Castle staff and a student of its art, combines the history of the castle with details about its inhabitants and its builders in this splendid book. The pages are peppered with historic photos, architectural drawings, correspondences, and details of the castle's features and its art. You can practically smell the opulence of the place. Strongly recommended for regional collections and large public libraries across the country. (Final photos and index not seen.)DKaren Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Hearst Castle, as the California home of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was unofficially called, is one of the top tourist draws in the country, a fact that is easy for readers to appreciate as they luxuriate in the pages of this exceptionally vibrant text-and-photo history of the house. The Hearst estate, formally called La Cuesta Encantada ("the enchanted hill"), overlooks the gorgeous California coast, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In this unforgettable setting, Hearst, with architect Julia Morgan at his side, built and added onto and reconfigured his estate over a period of nearly three decades, from 1919 to 1947, and in the process collected artwork here in the U.S. and in Europe not only for display purposes but also as integral parts of the design structure. Kastner allows Hearst more credit as a sensitive collector than most critics have usually given him. Two major points are made here; that the relationship between Hearst and Morgan, his architect, was an especially productive and mutually satisfying one, and that Hearst Castle is not a "freak" of a dwelling but very much a "representative example of the American country-house tradition." Kastner proffers a delicious taste of the social life that guests enjoyed under the roof at Hearst Castle in Hearst's heyday, particularly after the advent of Hearst's beloved mistress, actress Marian Davies, who was a loving and lovable hostess. This book's brilliant match of words and illustrations results in a marvelous tour of the premises and an engrossing history. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his legendary California estate occupy a place in the public imagination through Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, but Kane's brooding Xanadu was merely a caricature of Hearst's exuberant castle at San Simeon. This new book sets the record straight and proves that, for once, truth is better than fiction. Here for the first time is the real story of Hearst Castle, and of the productive 28-year relationship between Hearst and his architect, Julia Morgan, who collaborated on the magnificent 165-room estate set on 250,000 breathtaking acres near the remote seaside hamlet of San Simeon, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drawing on previously unpublished correspondence, and illustrated with never-before-seen historic photographs as well as more than 150 stunning color pictures, Victoria Kastner chronicles the evolution of this extraordinary hilltop, with its two spectacular pools and its astounding collections of fine art and antiques. Sprinkled throughout with stories of the famous parties hosted by Hearst and his companion, movie star Marion Davies, and their celebrated guests, this book brings to life America's most glamorous country house. 259 photographs, 157 in full color, 9 x 113/4"


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Hearst Castle offers a lively narrative documenting the unusually collaborative relationship between Hearst and Julia Morgan, the ''first woman architect of prominence in America,'' according to Kastner, a member of the San Simeon staff. ... The architectural plans, drawings and contemporary photographs that document both the growth of the house and life with Hearst and Davies are accompanied by unusually informative captions that offer an entertaining supplement to the main text.


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