Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The last tycoon, London : Penguin, 2010.

One of the 20th century's greatest unfinished novels, The Last Tycoon, is heartbreaking in its unrealised potential.  The book presents a portrait of Hollywood studio czar Monroe Stahr and is based on Fitzgerald's experience of working as a screenwriter for producer Irving Thalberg at MGM, the premier Hollywood studio.  The esteemed critic and editor, Edmund Wilson writes in the Foreword, "Scott Fitzgerald died suddenly of a heart attack (21 December 1940) the day after he had written the first episode of Chapter 6 of his novel."

What Wilson did publish is roughly a third of the novel, which Fitzgerald had revised to certain extent, before his untimely death.  Aside from its elegant prose style, the book's appeal lies in the nascent romance between Stahr and the young screenwriter Kathleen. The glamour of Hollywood is given its due, as well as an  insider's "take" of the movie industry; and the machinations peculiar to a studio conglomerate.

Eventually, The Last Tycoon was adapted for the movies, in 1973 with Robert de Niro as Stahr, amongst an illustrious cast.  However, the film proved to be a box-office flop.  

VIDEO: the glamour of Hollywood at night

Schulberg, Budd. What makes Sammy run?, New York : Random House, 1952.

This novel written in 1941 is generally considered to be the Novel about Hollywood, and by extension Los Angeles.  After all Hollywood is a factory town and its product...cinema and television.

Schulberg was born into the movie business.  His father was a film producer.  It has been suggested that the Sammy of the novel (Sammy Glick) is a portrait of Schulberg's father.  Either way, there is a deeply felt tone to the writing of this very serious novel. 

The reason for its enduring fame rests on gripping story elements and a no-holds approach to revealing the pitfalls of the studio system.  The book has had a number of television adaptations, and was turned into a musical.

VIDEO: Bette Davis refers to the the best book ever written about Hollywood...amongst other things..