William Gordon writes all about the inside information on visiting Hollywood in his book, The Ultimate Hollywood Tour Book. If you’ve ever thought about visiting L.A. and wanted to take a look at some sights of famous homes, this book has tons of valuable information, including how to spot a hoax on Star Maps. Gordon writes:

Of course, another, probably even more important, reason why the tours of Beverly Hills do not always meet the highest standards of accuracy is that the tours are based on maps to the stars’ homes that have been around since at least 1924 (real estate agents used to publish them themselves to lure prospective homebuyers to Beverly Hills). These maps are an inescapable part of life in L.A. They are hawked on seemingly every street corner along Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills and in virtually every souvenir shop along Hollywood Boulevard.

The best-selling map is called simply “Map of Movie Stars’ Homes.” Even though celebrities move as often, if not more often, than regular folk, the current edition of the map is remarkably similar to a 1977 edition on file at the Beverly Hills Public Library.

The reason the mapmakers do not keep up with the celebrity comings and goings is because they have no incentive to. After all, their customers never know the difference. Tourists who are in town for a short period do not have the time or the inclination to independently verify the information they are given–even if they know how to…

While it is possible that you may see celebrities outside their homes…any such sightings are strictly up to chance. The likelihood is that you will not see celebrities outside their homes.

There you have it. Gordon isn’t trying to discourage travelers from going on these excursions, but he’s definitely providing some important info to keep in mind if you try to see some stars in L.A.