Customer Reviews

Hollywood Then and Now (Then & Now)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was given this book by a friend because he knows I was raised in Hollywood and love the history of the area. The archival photographs are quite nicely reproduced, however, the current photographs are very poor. I enjoy digital photography and was in Hollywood a few weeks ago and visited the same historic scenes from this book. I quite easily found the angle of the original shots found in this book.. why this book showed those same shots but taken from different angles than the original photos is beyond me. The modern photos in this book are also very unflattering, out of focus and even amateur in appearance... not much more than snapshots.

The worst thing about this book are the many obvious mistakes in locations and historic details. What a shame.

Another piece of drivel from the typewriter of Rosemary Lord. Don't let the lovely cover fool you, the interior contains nothing of value. Lord's photos are incredibly poor and badly shot. Of course there's also the unappetizing prerequisite of factual errors which are far too common throughout Lord's work. The provenance of the El Capitan Theater seems to have confused her as has the difference between Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax. This book was made for gullible tourists. If Amazon would allow to me to leave "0" stars for this book, it would still deserve a negative.

I had been so impressed with the quality and accuracy of Rosemary Lord's book LOS ANGELES THEN AND NOW that I was delighted to find this new book HOLLYWOOD THEN AND NOW. It is brilliant and fascinating. This is an impressive, informative history of Hollywood. I worked in the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry during much of this time and Lord has captured the world I remember so well. I was pleased to see this book on the L.A. Times Bestseller List in January when it first came out and have bought several copies as they make great gifts. I look forward to her next book.

There is something magic about looking at the old pictures of Hollywood, from the streets to the shops to the studios. It brings back thoughts of those old movies and the famous actors who populated the scene so long ago. Then contrast that with what the area looks like now. Sometimes the buildings remained the same, sometimes they have been totally demolished and something not as grand or as interesting has taken its place.

But author Rosemary Lord has done a marvelous job chronicling the changes, giving tasty little tidbits from history to let the reader know how Hollywood started and she takes the reader through some of the many changes.

In her introduction Ms. Lord explains how Hollywood came to be, even how it got its name. Would you believe Hollywood was almost called "Figwood"? The stories are little hors d'oeuvres to satisfy the fussiest appetite. You get a taste of what it was like in the early days in this fully illustrated book. And what was nice is that some of that splendor is still with us.

This is such a splendid, memorable, book. A great gift for lovers of old Hollywood, or new.

This is a good book. Lots of good pics from back in the day. I'm a Hollywood reminiscer and I like to "go back in time" to see how things were compared to now. Frankly, I'd rather have been around then...... 30s, 40s. Times were simple, more innocent, not so much crazy new technology. Sometimes all the new tech can be overwhelming. Yea, I love lots of it, like computers and my gosh where would I be without the internet? Lost! But you can't miss what you never had, right? And I liked the other things of simplicity, like price of gas, rent, food, laws were even simpler then, your word and a handshake were all you needed for most transactions, you could run a tab at the corner store and pay it every payday. things are sooooo different now!!!

I enjoyed this book and you will too, if your a Hollywood buff, or even California buff! It shows the different geology of Places from long ago and now. This book is a collector's item and I will keep it forever. The pics are great! this is for any LA lover!

"Hollywood Then & Now" by Rosemary Lord is a complete waste of time. The photos are very poorly shot, sometimes even out of focus! I was expecting a pictorial commentary on the changing Hollywood landscape, what I got was a very pedestrian production, with little or no attention paid to detail.

It is not even a true "Then & Now" book, the concept of which I find fascinating. Some of the new photos have no relation whatsoever to the archival photos, others are shot from a vantage point that in no way mirrors the original setting.

I ended up selling this book at a yard sale and was pleased to discover the work of another author, George Jezek, who publised a book called, "Hollywood Now & Then." Surprising that a product with such a similar approach could be so much more satisfying.

My second purchase eclipsed the first in every way and truly captures the spirit of a "Now & Then" concept.

As my title said, (in 50 words or less) this book is a "photographic display of HOLLYWOOD, -- then and in the early 2000's".

I found the book highly informative and enjoyable. Yes, the photos are in black and white, however, I believe the author did this to show continuum.

The book is filled with (mostly) large photos of Hollywood, before and after time had changed the topography and architectural styles of the area.

This book was everything it promised to be. I got lost in it the first time I picked it up, and I continue to get lost in it. The photos are amazing!

Great book if you have ever been to Hollywood. Bought this after visiting Hollywood and enjoyed relating the sites I saw to how they looked originally

My parents were born in Hollywood and grew up in the 1930's in that small town. Many of the places described in this lovely book have been part of family conversations for years and many fond memories. This is not only an excellent book for anyone who is interested in what a great place Hollywood was to live in but a window into a gentler time.