Missenscène

The other night I came across THIS amazing book at Arclight Hollywood.  I always spend a few minutes browsing the gift shop before or after a movie. That little shop has some pretty fun things. When I opened LOS ANGELES, PORTRAIT OF A CITY,  I spent half an hour studying the pages.  Published by Taschen, ” the multilayered metropolis of Los Angelews is revealed via more than 500 archival and contemporary images in the most comprehensive photographic study of the city to date.“*

A Few Photos From the Book:

These photos don’t really do the book justice.  The earliest photos in the book show LA before it was developed. There are some really early photos of Downtown–which are my favorite photos in the book.  If you click here, you can leaf through the entire book and see images like this one:

A pictorial history of the City of Angels

“From the first known photograph taken in Los Angeles to its most recent sweeping vistas, this photographic tribute to the City of Angels provides a fascinating journey through the city’s cultural, political, industrial, and sociological history. It traces the city’s development from the 1880s’ real estate boom, through the early days of Hollywood and the urban sprawl of the late 20th century, right up to the present day. With over 500 images, L.A. is shown emerging from a desert wasteland to become a vast palm-studded urban metropolis.” *

Although the book contains tons of old photos of LA, it was just published late last year. This $70 book(slightly less on ebay or Amazon)  is a must have coffee table book for the Los Angeles lover.

*http://www.taschen.com