An illustrated cartographic history of the City of Angels from the colonial era to the present. Los Angeles inhabits a place of the mind as much as it does a physical geographic space. A land of palm trees and movie stars, sunshine and glamour, the city exists in the imagination as a paradise; of course, the reality is much bigger than this. Through seventy reproductions of seminal and historic documents, Los Angeles in Maps presents the evolution of this almost mythical place. Maps featured include historic Spanish explorers’ charts from as early as 1791, as well as more recent topographic surveys, tourist guides, real estate maps, bird’s-eye views, and more. Like the course of the Los Angeles River, the book winds through essential terrain: the discovery of oil, the rise of Hollywood, the streetcar system, Los Angeles Harbor, earthquakes, sprawl, and splendor.

About The Author

Glen Creason is map librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library and co-curator of the landmark exhibition L.A. Unfolded: Maps from the Los Angeles Public Library.

D. J. Waldie is the author of the California Book Award–winner Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir.

Joe Linton is an artist, writer, and activist living in Los Angeles.

Morgan Yates is corporate archivist at the Auto Club of Southern California and works in Los Angeles.