A fascinating and dishy exploration of Beverly Hills - a rarefied community that has become a part of our country's mythos. It takes readers behind the gates of the rich and famous with an insider's depiction of a unique cultural phenomenon, the rapturous and tragic embodiment of the American Dream.
There is no community more synonymous with glamour and ostentatious displays of wealth than Beverly Hills. Begun in 1906 as Southern California's first planned community, Beverly Hills was considered too rural and removed from Los Angeles and struggled to attract buyers. But with the opening of the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1911, the community emerged as the spot for the rich and famous.
In this book, David Weddle shows the wild 90-year old history of Beverly Hills. From Rodeo Drive to Beverly High, this book tells the story of this unique community by capturing the individuals who are emblematic of various fractions of Beverly Hills society.
In addition to such famed elite as Milton Berle, Buster Keaton, and Billy Wilder, the book also introduces the more obscure citizens who make up the vast majority of the 32,367 people who live there. From security guards to aspiring actors, from pornographers to hotel pool boys - these are characters who are willing to resort to whatever means necessary to steal themselves a piece of the Beverly Hills dream.
Spinning a spell-binding tale of wealth, fame, and the lust for land, power and social status, 'Among The Mansions Of Eden' ultimately shows how land and material gain in Beverly Hills is an instrument for measuring one's self worth.
