Picturing Los Angeles (Hardcover)
Product Description
Drawing upon more than two hundred years of images and human experience in Los Angeles, Jon and Nancy Wilkman have gathered a telling array of newspaper photos, historical snapshots of the movie industry, and photos that offer a glimpse into the sports, politics, industry, social change, crime, disasters, arts, and everyday life of each decade in Los Angeles.
From the Inside Flap
Picturing Los Angeles
Picturing Los Angeles is the most comprehensive pictorial history of America’s second-largest, and in many ways, most influential city. Lavishly illustrated with more than five hundred and fifty photographs, it is the story of a colorful, complex and often-misunderstood metropolis.
Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmakers and writers Jon and Nancy Wilkman tell a fast-paced story filled with fascinating characters-beginning with the region’s Mexican roots and Wild West youth . . . to the water wars of the turn of the twentieth century . . . the birth and influence of the movies . . . the evolution of an automobile-enthralled city, driven by experimentation and a search for personal fulfillment . . . scandals, injustices, and unkept promises . . . the development of a major center of innovation and technology . . . the creation of America’s busiest gateway for international trade . . . and the unexpected emergence of the world’s most multicultural metropolis.
Los Angeles has been called a mirror to America and a reflection of the future. If you think you know L.A., it’s time to look again. From the arts and entertainment, sports, people, politics and social change, there’s no better place to discover, or rediscover, the City of Angels than through the wide-ranging pages of Picturing Los Angeles.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Riddled with errors.
The authors say they would be pleased “if academic historians find a few unexpected tidbits”. Most historians will probably be enraged by this book, and by the fact that it’s…
Whether you are a lifelong resident, transplant, or just interested in the history of the city, Picturing Los Angeles by Jon and Nancy Wilkman is the perfect book. The title may lead you to the conclusion that it is just another coffee table “picture book,” but it is far more. It chronicles the history of “L.A.” from the beginning in the 1700’s up to present-day. It is just the right mix of photos and text. Most pages contain a photo annotated with a detailed caption. Just skimming through the photos and reading their captions gives you a quick idea of what the city is about. Each page of text complements the accompanying photo. I have lived in Los Angeles for forty years and “discovered” many facts about my city previously unknown to me. Highly recommended! Makes a great gift!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable Reference for the City of Angels (and Devils!)
Incredible compendium of all the events and characters that created and still shape this most unique city.
5.0 out of 5 stars
LA Show-and-Tell
Photos we hadn’t seen before…insights we hadn’t considered before.
“Picturing Los Angeles” is a show-and-tell book of the highest order.
This book is basically a photographical introduction to the history of Los Angeles . If you are interested in knowing about the history of Los Angeles, from it’s very early beginnings , up until the early 2000’s, then you will find this book very informative.
There are many many photos that go along with the historical text. All photos are in black and white.
This looks like a coffee table book, but it’s really an incisive narrative accompanied by fascinating pictures. The authors give us a whirlwind tour of the explosive pattern of growth and change that is the true history of Los Angeles. Propelled by a colorful array of eccentrics and geniuses we see the city constantly reinventing itself and leaping into the future. I had so much fun reading it I almost forgot how bad the damn traffic is here!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seeing Los Angeles Through Its Images
Jon and Nancy Wilkman have achieved an amazing feat. They have taken the history of Los Angeles as their canvas, and illustrated its past in a voluminous display of images from…
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOS ANGELES - Story and Picture Perfect!
The fascinating history of Hollywood and it’s intriguing cast of characters is but one delicious slice of this captivatingly written pie, with photographs that will make you want…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Picturing Los Angeles
This stylish history of Los Angeles tells with clarity, wit and passion the surprising dramas and nutty antics of our town.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Gift
The vast majority of Angelinos are like me, transplants. I really didn’t know that much about my city’s past. PICTURING LOS ANGELES is a fun and fascinating look at L.A.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful surprise
When I saw the title, I was certain that this would be a “book of pictures”, but I was really blown away by the incredible job the Wilkmans have done!
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate “Yearbook” of LA
This book is a must for every Angeleno and the perfect overview for anyone who wants to understand how LA grew up.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tops in the Field
This is a taut, clear-eyed, eminently readable and accurate history of Los Angeles from its founding in 1769 and decade by decade since 1900. The authors are longtime L.A.