written by Karen E. Hudson, with a foreword by Kelly Wearstler

Karen Hudson, granddaughter of one of America’s greatest architects, is the author of some rather fine titles with the purpose of unearthing the early history of Black L.A.

Unlike most coffee table books, Classic Hollywood Style offers significant text to help reinvigorate the memories of an architect whose brilliance was overshadowed by a nation’s peculiar obsession with skin color.

With the precision akin to that possessed by Williams, Hudson navigates an otherwise treacly channel that has been made intentionally murky. That Williams’ brilliant and prolific work has for so long been appreciated by so few is a loss to the melting pot culture that once defined the United States and has since come to make it an admirable nation.

With this title—and a forthcoming one that we understand will be published this year—Williams’ work can be appreciated as it was always meant.

Exterior and decorated interior shots find equal space in this impressive tome.

Few have probably been allowed to personally visit the interiors of the houses he built; this book will help satisfy that longing.

As more and more of Williams’ buildings fall victim to the Southern California concept of constant “rebirth,” documents such as this are more than art; they are historical documents.

Williams’ many subtle architectural signatures can easily hold a candle to the embellishments of architect, book designer and typographer William Morris. To be sure, Williams organic sense of design remains a pleasure to behold.

($65.00: Rizzoli Int’l Publications, October 2012, hardback 240 pages, )