​The Ojai Mystique
​
We hope you will be intrigued by our selection of books and films
as an introduction to Ojai's history, lore, and legends.​​

​Books about Ojai Artists

​Ojai has developed a well-deserved reputation as a paradise for visual artists. Beginning with renowned potters and ceramicists (Beatrice Wood, Otto and Vivika Heino) who in the 1940s settled in the valley, and continuing in more recent times with painters, printmakers, glass sculptors and photographers, the natural beauty and the light quality of this valley continues to enchant and attract the gifted and creatives of the visual world.
 

I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood

The Art of Vivika and Otto Heino

Gilded Vessel: The Lustrous Life and Art of Beatrice Wood

Beatrice Wood: Career Woman: Drawings, Paintings, Vessels, and Objects

Divining the Human:
The Cathedral 
Tapestries of John Nava

Ojai on film

Ojai's charm and small town authenticity are photogenic. There have been as many as 69 movies and television shows filmed with locations in Ojai. Maybe even more than we counted in our research! Some famous, some less so. From Frank Capra's legendary "Lost Horizon" (1937) to the popular "Easy A" (2010) the list keeps growing...
Discover more about famous films made in Ojai in "When Poster Art met Ojai" Art & About-FINAL->Press.pdf.webloc 

Recent TV series include several Netflix productions: "Windfall" (2022); "Beef" (Season 2, 2026); "The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 5, 2026)  

For a historic perspective on Hollywood and Ojai connection we highly recommend you watch Bryan Cranston's acclaimed performance in "Trumbo" (2015) a film which brought back to life the celebrated screenwriter and "Hollywood Ten" blacklisted Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo spent many years in Ojai where he continued writing award-winning movies Roman Holiday (1953), Spartacus (1960), and Exodus (1960) under a pseudonym. For more on his extraordinary life, career, and legacy visit Dalton Trumbo - Wikipedia 

Lost Horizon (1937)

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

The Bionic Woman
(1976-1978)

Easy A (2010)

Trumbo (2015) ​

Ojai History, Architecture and Writers

Beauty and Spirituality: focus on a few books, words and images, all playing a part in the fabric of Ojai's mystique. We encourage you to visit our local bookstores and shops to purchase them and support the local economy. The Ojai Valley Museum gift shop offers a fine selection of books about Ojai's history, art, and culture. 

Ojai (CA) (Images of America)

Ojai by Design:
​Fine Architecture of the Ojai Valley by Craig Walker

Ojai (Postcard History)

Fountains and Sculptures
​of Ojai

J. Krishnamurti Education and the Significance of Life

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