Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of the City and County

I really enjoyed thumbing through this Encyclopedia. Los Angeles' brief is history is fascinating and often neglected. This book is quite comprehensive, and gives you the back story on many different topics related to LA. It answered a lot of my questions such as: "Where did the name Beverly Hills come from?" (Answer: the first farmer on the land was from Beverly Farms, Massachusetts); "Didn't LA use to have a light rail system?" (Answer is a big yes!) and a lot more. If you want to learn more about LA, this book is a great resource for you.

If you can think of anything you'd ever want to know about Los Angeles, chances are you will find it in this book, and in DETAIL. I was hard-pressed to find anything missing that I knew about as an Angeleno. Historical entries include L.A. water czar William Mulholland, the Chandler families, the histories of movie theaters and many, many more pieces of information. A great book for those fascinated with L.A. history.

This is without a doubt the best book ever written about L.A.! It is amazingly comprehensive and virtually teams with fascinating stories on every page. Great for reading in bed before sleep. For every Angeleno, especially those unlucky ones who are far from home, this is a welcome companion. You will love it!

My wife bought a copy of this book for me as a birthday present, and I love it! This is an excellent resource for understanding the details, history and current state of Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County. I hope the authors will consider producing a companion volume to this work, perhaps called "Orange County A-Z".

This book fills a void in the available descriptions of Los Angeles. It attempts to winnow out those features in its present and in its history which make it uniquely LA. It does not merely hit the high points of the rich and famous and powerful but includes much of the sweep and power of the great mass of the population which has contributed so profoundly to the evolution of LA to its present state