From the blurb on the back of the book -- "A hundred years old, Hollywood is the world's largest film business with its movies adored around the globe. But the drama on-screen has been matched, and often exceeded, by the lives off-screen." As the title suggests the book covers the history of Hollywood from its origins in the early part of the 20th century through its heyday under the studio system and finally to the Hollywood of CGI and summer blockbusters.