California has always been our Shangri-la-the promised land of countless pilgrims in search of the American Dream. Now the Golden State's premier historian, Kevin Starr, distills the entire sweep of California's history into one splendid volume. From the age of exploration to the age of Arnold, this is the story of a place at once quintessentially American and utterly unique.
Arguing that America's most populous state has always been blessed with both spectacular natural beauty and astonishing human diversity, Starr unfolds a rapid-fire epic of discovery, innovation, catastrophe, and...

Rise and sprawl: how Los Angeles came to be A pictorial history of the City of Angels From the first known photograph taken in Los Angeles to its most recent sweeping vistas, thisphotographic tribute to the City of Angelsprovides 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. Withover 500 images, L.A. is shown emerging from a desert wasteland to become a vast...