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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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THIS WAS HOLLYWOOD

Carla Valderrama

Forgotten Stars and Stories

In this one-of-a-kind Hollywood history, Carla Valderrama - creator of Instagram's celebrated @ThisWasHollywood - reveals the forgotten past of the film world in a dazzling visual package modeled on the classic fan magazines of yesteryear.
From former screen legends who have faded into obscurity to new revelations about the movies' biggest stars, Valderrama unearths the most fascinating little-known tales from the birth of Hollywood through its Golden Age.

The shocking fate of the world's first movie star. Clark Gable's secret love child. The film that nearly ended Paul Newman's career. A former child star who, at 93, reveals her #metoo story for the first time. Valderrama unfolds these stories, and many more, in a volume that is by turns riveting, maddening, hilarious, and shocking.

Drawing on new interviews, archival research, and an exhaustive library of photographs, This Was Hollywood is a compelling and visually stunning catalogue of the lost history of the movies.

Carla Valderrama is an author, Hollywood historian, and the creator of the Instagram accounts @thiswashollywood and @thiswasfashion. This Was Hollywood is her first book.
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Book

Published 2020-11-17 by Running Press

Comments

Carla Valderrama genuinely loves Hollywood history, as you can tell from every page of this book. Her enthusiasm is matched only by her determination to back up her stories with good, old-fashioned research. I learned a lot from This Was Hollywood and you will, too.

...cleverly designed book...Valderrama resurrects the golden age of Tinseltown in all its splendor and silliness... For the cinephile on your list, This Was Hollywood will be a treat. Read more...

... a dazzling visual package... compelling and visually stunning catalogue of the lost history of the movies. Read more...

THIS WAS HOLLYWOOD is is included in Variety's list of "Best Coffee Table Books for Movie and TV Lovers": ...in-depth look in the real world of classic Hollywood... Come for the history lessons, fascinating backstories, historical ads and images... Read more...

THIS WAS HOLLYWOOD is listed as "Best Coffee Table Books for Movie and TV Lovers" in Variety AV Club's "6 Gifts For All the Cinephiles in Your Life" JoBlo's "Cool Holiday Gifts"

Glowing feature about the author's inspiration for the book... Read more...

There is enough silver screen archaeology and anthropology here to make any Hollywood history enthusiast salivate... highly recommended. Read more...