Los Angeles: A Guide to the City and Its Environs

The WPA Guide to the City

by Work Projects Administration

Los Angeles in the 1930s returns to print an invaluable document of Depression-era Los Angeles, illuminating a pivotal moment in L.A.’s history, when writers like Raymond Chandler, Nathanael West, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were creating the images and associations—and the mystique—for which the City of Angels is still known. Many books in one, Los Angeles in the 1930s is both a genial guide and an addictively readable history, revisiting the Spanish colonial period, the Mexican period, the brief California Republic, and finally American sovereignty. It is also a compact coffee table book of dazzling monochrome photography. These whose haunting visions suggest the city we know today and illuminate the booms and busts that marked L.A.’s past and continue to shape its future.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Reference, Architecture

419 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1941

Reviews

[Christine Palau · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love LA, live in LA, have lived in LA, want to live in LA, like movies, architecture, American history, just get this book already.
Plus, it's supremely worth it for David Kipen's introduction, which will make you proud of being from LA, if you are, and if you're not, there are WPA guides for 48 states and about 25 other cities. Worst case scenario, it will make you nostalgic for a bygone era.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the WPA book from the 1930s -- the photos, the historical view of the city and the environs, the maps, and the bibliography make for a fascinating view of LA a mere 90 years ago. My only complaint is that the bibliography is not all that big.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look at LA in the 1930’s. The WPA put together some great books about our country. The photographs are wonderful.

[Josh Fogelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to step back into 1930s LA, this is the book for you.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book.. mostly because it's like a walking tour of my neighborhood.. when DTLA was still my neighborhood.. and David Kipen rocks, so there. (yes, this was a very un-helpful review.. sorry!)

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive snapshot of Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Essential for anyone interested in the history of the city. Ideal for browsing.

[David Khalaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think of it as the original Yelp. You don't want to read the whole be cover to cover, but it's really interesting to flip through to get a snapshot of Los Angeles in 1939. Great for history buffs.