Ken Murray's 1971 book on William Randolph Hearst's castle in San Simeon, California, once one of the largest private residences in the U.S. is, in some respects, a disappointing puff piece. It revels in the details of the architectural structures Hearst acquired in Europe and cobbled together for his magnificent home and features many B&W photos of Hollywood royalty having fun but shies away from anything that even hints of being controversial or takes away from the legend of San Simeon as a relentlessly fun pleasure palace for visitors.For those looking for the specifics of each room's European sources, or what actresses visited when, the book, featuring many B&W photographs Murray shot, will satisfy. It's truly bizarre, though, for Murray to not mention that the ever-present actress Marion Davies was Hearst's mistress (common knowledge since at least the 1920s). The death of Hearst's dog Helen literally gets more space in the text than his wife, Millicent, who's mentioned in one sentence when she "visited" the castle.
The Golden Days of San Simeon was created partly to coincide with castle tours and partly to showcase Murray's photographs, but for a history of the residence which doesn't lie by omission, there are other books to explore.
