Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House [Hardcover]

Victoria Kastner (Author), Victoria Garagliano (Photographer), George Plimpton (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

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 Drawing on previously unpublished correspondence, and illustrated with never-before-seen historic photographs as well as more than 150 stunning color pictures, Victoria Kastner chronicles the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"

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First edition. edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810934159
• ISBN-13: 978-0810934153
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid, Comfortable Home, November 21, 2000

By 

R. Hardy "Rob Hardy" (Columbus, Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House (Hardcover)

Ever since the estate at San Simeon became the property of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, anyone can pay to see it and take the various tours through Hearst Castle. It's worth the trip down from San Francisco; if you can't make it, there is now _Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House_ by Victoria Kastner, with photographs by Victoria Garagliano. As befits its larger-than-life subject, this is a big book with gorgeous pictures, but the pictures are within a very helpful historic text, so even if you have seen the house, there is much to learn. There have been tourist picture books of the house before, but this is the first book to tell the house's full story. The story largely concerns the partnership between the architect Julia Morgan and her famous client. Miss Morgan is regarded as the first woman architect of any prominence in America. She and Hearst worked on the huge castle, adjacent guest houses, pools, and gardens over three decades. She had responsibilities even for his zoo animals, and he was essentially her patron. They were superbly able to work together, and to have obvious fun in accumulating and displaying the riches illustrated in this book. Morgan put up with Hearst's changeability, with every building turning out quite differently from how it was first planned. Given his impulsiveness and the span of time of construction, it is astonishing that the site has any architectural unity, but she managed to make it a real showplace.

The book also documents the entertainments held by Hearst's lover, Marion Davies, with whom he had a longstanding, loving, and happy affair. She was a perfect hostess at the Castle; guests and staff loved her. Hearst loved fun in his own way, but spent much of the time at the Castle managing his business affairs by phone, leaving Davies to show hospitality to all visitors. It was very unusual for their time, but they rejected socializing with the established money and society of the East coast, preferring to have Hearst's own business associates and movie stars as guests. Pictures in the book show Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and many others.

Much of _Hearst Castle_ is taken up with pictures to document the astonishingly rich gothic interiors. Unlike most castles, however, this one feels like a home. There are comfortable overstuffed chairs and sofas throughout, and a poker table jostles with Renaissance-style sculpture. It is clear that Hearst and Morgan had fun tearing down and building up, and collecting the artifacts that range from ancient bric-a-brac to priceless masterworks. _Hearst Castle_ is a lovely homage to a great American house.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The life and times of an American castle., October 9, 2001

By 

beckyjean "beckyjean" (East Granby, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House (Hardcover)

This book gives an intimate look at one of "America's Castles" from inside and out. The history of the building site is covered, as is the design and construction of the buildings. The life and times of W.R. Hearst and his friends and loved ones are presented in such a way as to flesh out the character of the house.

I just finished reading this book, and I'm tempted to pick it up and start all over again. This is one that I'll reread often.

The layout of the book is interesting and eye-catching, but the tints used on the pages sometimes make the text difficult to read. Make sure you sit down with this book in a very well-lit room -- not only will light make it that much easier to read, you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful pictures more easily.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hearst Castle Fans Should Not Miss This!, February 18, 2003

By 

Shelley Rittenbach (Dublin, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House (Hardcover)

A first rate account of the building of "La Cuesta Encantada" with new information I have not found in other Hearst Castle books or by taking the castle tours many, many times since I was a little girl. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to visit the castle again with this new knowledge.