I used to look out at the Hollywood sign from my living room window every morning. Guess that view helped spark my pointless interest in Hollywood history.
I recently finished a good read: The Hollywood Sign (Leo Braudy), that details the ups & downs of the Hollywoodland (turned Hollywood) sign, and it's surrounding, sordid namesake.

Detailed, but still concise, timeline of how the Hollywood neighborhood was developed, and how Hollywood evolved into the nerve center of American movie making. It also touches on famous events related to the sign (like the tragic 1932 suicide of actress Peg Entwistle., it's believed she hurled herself off the top of the 'H'.)

(1992. Ross Perot supporters temporarily jacked the sign.)

The sign's a very cool, unexpected icon. Designed as a simple advertisement, that became a universal icon. Braudy documents how the sign's story parallels Hollywood's surprising ascent, and fluctuating public attitudes toward both the sign and the movie industry.

Far back as the '20s, Hollywood was already earning a reputation for devouring the dreams of young, aspiring stars..


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