In the day when Hollywood films were being cranked out by the big studios the way Detroit turned out automobiles, one man clung to the belief that a motion picture was like a painting which had to be painted and signed by a single artist. In 1939 David O. Selznick justified his belief. He was 37 years old when Gone with the Wind was released to thunderous accolades. It was the triumph and the tragedy of his life. As a producer he had reached the pinnacle of success; there was nowhere else to go ...

In this biography, Bob Thomas tells the story of the stormy career of a man who personified the label "legend." It tells of the women he loved and the fortunes he amassed and lost; of the great stars he made and the magnificent motion pictures he created. Here is the man himself the author of endless memos, the compulsive gambler, the driving perfectionist. Selznick's life is also a kaleidoscopic reflection of Hollywood's golden era when movies were meant meant to glamour and the word "damn" violated the production code.