Hearst Castle; An Interpretive History of W. R. Hearst's San Simeon Estate by Nancy E. Loe

This handsome book, never before available outside Hearst San Simeon State Park, describes the history of Hearst's San Simeon estate. San Simeon, once open only by special invitation from wealthy host William Randolph Hearst, has attracted more than 35 million visitors since it opened to the public in 1958. This definitive book tells the story of Hearst's vision for his coastal California "ranch" and his creative collaboration with architect Julia Morgan to create San Simeon, an intriguing blend of natural beauty, architecture, art, and history.

Hearst was sole heir to his family's mining and real estate fortune. By his mid-twenties, he was a successful newspaper publisher who eventually parlayed his inheritance into a media empire. One afternoon in April 1919, shortly before he inherited his fortune, William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan met in her San Francisco office to begin the design and planning of the most extraordinary residence ever to rise on the Pacific Coast, an estate with Mediterranean-influenced architecture to be filled with Hearst's vast collection of European art.

With this book readers can step back in time to experience Hearst Castle as it was planned and built in close collaboration with renowned architect Julia Morgan, and as it was when the Hollywood elite, politicians, athletes and other celebrities of the 1920s and 1930s enjoyed Hearst's hospitality. Abundantly illustrated with historical photographs, Morgan's drawings, and numerous color images of Hearst Castle's abundant art and architecture.

1994, 96 pages, full-color cover, 64 color photographs, 46 historic black & white photographs, 24 other color illustrations mostly by architect Julia Morgan, 16 black & white illustrations. Published by Companion Press.
ISBN 978-0-944197-27-1. trade paper