Celluloid Heroes

Three new books shed light on L.A. history, the personalities of the town's stars, and lurking preambles to Hollywood's current upheaval

Julia Vitale

1 Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood (Custom House) By Karina Longworth

From the force behind the podcast You Must Remember This comes a book exploring the glamour and misogyny of classic Hollywood through the stories of Howard Hughes's female colleagues and conquests—among them, Katharine Hepburn and Jean Harlow. The business magnate and filmmaker reads as Old Hollywood's own Harvey Weinstein.

2 Nothing Is Lost: Selected Essays (Knopf) By Ingrid Sischy

The late writer and editor's posthumous essay collection spans 30 years of reporting on culture's biggest personalities, including artists (Robert Mapplethorpe, Jeff Koons), designers (Miuccia Prada, Calvin Klein), and the glittering stars of the big screen, ranging from a mature Elizabeth Taylor to a 22-year-old Kristen Stewart, whom Sischy lauded as one of her generation's "few misfits."

3 Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018 (Modern Library) Edited by David Kipen

More than four centuries of diary entries and letters paint a dynamic portrait of the town, including voices of Spanish missionaries and gold miners, reflections on race by W. E. B. Du Bois, and musings from the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Richard Burton.