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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #465149 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

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.

From the Back Cover
To fully appreciate America you need to explore the enormity and ambiguities of Los Angeles. Even if you think you know the City of Angels, it's time to look again, and celebrate 225 years of the city's exuberant, turbulent history.

About the Author
Jon and Nancy Wilkman are husband and wife documentary filmmakers and writers, with a special interest in history. Their documentaries have received numerous awards and have been seen around the world. Long-time Angelenos, Jon and Nancy share a passion for their city's rich and underappreciated past, as well as L.A.'s vibrant and multicultural present.

Jon and Nancy Wilkman are husband and wife documentary filmmakers and writers, with a special interest in history. Their documentaries have received numerous awards and have been seen around the world. Long-time Angelenos, Jon and Nancy share a passion for their city's rich and underappreciated past, as well as L.A.'s vibrant and multicultural present.

Customer Reviews

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 getting positive reviews here.

A few examples that I know about, making me wonder what else is accurate in this book.

This book says Hollywood had 500 inhabitants in 1911, when in fact it had about 10000. This book states, to make a point, that "Sound of Music" was released in the same year as "Easy Rider" (1969), when in fact, "Sound of Music" was released in 1965, invalidating the point. Discussing the death of Thelma Todd, this book still uses the nonsense found in "Hollywood Babylon", an book full of fabricated stories. Samuel Goldwyn was not born with the name Goldfish, but Gelbfisz. And so on?

Most of the pictures are very small.

Photographical introduction to the history of Los Angeles

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.

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. Much more fun than hunting down similar information on the internet, "Picturing Los Angeles" offers readers hours of fascinating reading, aided by an astounding collection of pictures. A seemingly impossible task to put together, the authors have provided a wonderful encyclopedia of the culture, architecture and citizenry of a town that continues to impact the world. You'll see why!