The book is arranged geographically and covers not only Hollywood, the community, but 19 different areas of greater Los Angeles where entertainment history has been made (see contents).
To make sightseeing as pleasurable as possible (and Renee Wedell, host of KWHY-TV's "Our People, Our Town," calls The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book "the most user-friendly tour guide I've ever seen"), the book features 33 easy-to-follow maps. Sightseers and armchair travelers will also appreciate the more than 70 photographs (53 in color), including the rare aerial photographs of celebrities' homes. The estates owned (or formally owned) by Madonna, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marilyn Monroe, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Kerry Washington are all in the Hollywood tour guide book.
To ensure accuracy, The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book is updated frequently. E-mail updates are also available in between editions.
If you have any questions about sightseeing in movieland Los Angeles, feel free to email Mr. Gordon at NRBooks@aol.com.
About the Author
William A. Gordon and Charles Morton, owner of the house featured in "Dynasty"
William A. Gordon is a writer, publisher, and author of three other books, including Shot on this Site, a guide to more than 900 movie and TV locations throughout the United States. He calls The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book a work of "investigative sightseeing", since his background includes a stint in investigative journalism.
To research the book, Mr. Gordon combed through the production files of the Center for Motion Picture Studies (the library of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences), reviewed the records of the Los Angeles film permit office (to determine what filmed where), interviewed dozens of location scouts, officers of historical societies, realtors and publicists, and scoured celebrity biographies for anecdotes about the stars and their homes.
The 272-page book has been the subject of over 50 print and broadcast features and reviews, including full-page stories in the Los Angeles Times and Travel & Leisure. Mr. Gordon has also conducted specialized tours for the cable network American Movie Classics. He frequently lectures about the best ways to sightsee in movieland Los Angeles.