City at the edge of forever: Los Angeles reimagined
Description
"An engaging account of the uniquely creative spirit and bustling cultural ecology of contemporary Los Angeles. What is it about Los Angeles since the end of the Second World War that has enabled it to become such a center of cultural and technological innovation? In City at the Edge of Forever, Peter Lunenfeld, a professor at UCLA and an award-winning cultural critic, constructs an urban portrait, layer by layer, from serendipitous affinities, historical anomalies, and uncanny correspondences. In its pages, modernist architecture and lifestyle capitalism come together via a surfer girl named Gidget; Walt Disney and Hugh Hefner are revealed to be the same person, albeit with different demographics; Joan Didion's yellow Corvette is the brainchild of a car-crazy Japanese-American kid interned at Manzanar; and the music of the Manson Family segues into the birth of sci-fi fandom. One of the book's innovations is to brand Los Angeles as the alchemical city. Earth became real estate when the Yankees took control in the nineteenth century. Fire fueled the city's explosive growth early in the twentieth century as the Southland's oil fields minted millionaires and supplied the inexhaustible demands of drivers and their cars. Air defined the Southland from WWII tothe end of the Cold War, with aeronautics and aerospace dominating the region's industries. Water is now the key element, and Southern California's ports are the largest in the western hemisphere, with sixty percent of everything Americans buy from Chinapassing through Los Angeles. What alchemists identify as the ethereal fifth element, or quintessence, this book positions as the glamour of Hollywood, a spell that sustains the city but also needs to be broken in order to understand Los Angeles in the twenty-first century. The eruption of Los Angeles into global significance follows the ramp-up of its art, architecture, design, cuisine, music, theatre, and literary cultures, along with technical and scientific accomplishments, at a speed and reach unprecedented in modern history. That is the story Lunenfeld tells in this rich and compelling narrative"--
More Details
ISBN:
9780525561934
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | d42e7ee5-e00c-3b3e-78d1-c8552d245a5e |
---|---|
Grouping Title | city at the edge of forever los angeles reimagined |
Grouping Author | peter lunenfeld |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-24 04:45:30AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-28 23:16:19PM |
Solr Fields
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0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Lunenfeld, Peter
author_display
Lunenfeld, Peter
available_at_or
Case Memorial Library
detailed_location_or
Orange/Case Adult Nonfiction Book
display_description
"An engaging account of the uniquely creative spirit and bustling cultural ecology of contemporary Los Angeles. What is it about Los Angeles since the end of the Second World War that has enabled it to become such a center of cultural and technological innovation? In City at the Edge of Forever, Peter Lunenfeld, a professor at UCLA and an award-winning cultural critic, constructs an urban portrait, layer by layer, from serendipitous affinities, historical anomalies, and uncanny correspondences. In its pages, modernist architecture and lifestyle capitalism come together via a surfer girl named Gidget; Walt Disney and Hugh Hefner are revealed to be the same person, albeit with different demographics; Joan Didion's yellow Corvette is the brainchild of a car-crazy Japanese-American kid interned at Manzanar; and the music of the Manson Family segues into the birth of sci-fi fandom. One of the book's innovations is to brand Los Angeles as the alchemical city. Earth became real estate when the Yankees took control in the nineteenth century. Fire fueled the city's explosive growth early in the twentieth century as the Southland's oil fields minted millionaires and supplied the inexhaustible demands of drivers and their cars. Air defined the Southland from WWII tothe end of the Cold War, with aeronautics and aerospace dominating the region's industries. Water is now the key element, and Southern California's ports are the largest in the western hemisphere, with sixty percent of everything Americans buy from Chinapassing through Los Angeles. What alchemists identify as the ethereal fifth element, or quintessence, this book positions as the glamour of Hollywood, a spell that sustains the city but also needs to be broken in order to understand Los Angeles in the twenty-first century. The eruption of Los Angeles into global significance follows the ramp-up of its art, architecture, design, cuisine, music, theatre, and literary cultures, along with technical and scientific accomplishments, at a speed and reach unprecedented in modern history. That is the story Lunenfeld tells in this rich and compelling narrative"--
format_category_or
Books
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Book
id
d42e7ee5-e00c-3b3e-78d1-c8552d245a5e
isbn
9780525561934
itype_or
ADULT BOOK
last_indexed
2024-04-29T05:16:19.268Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_or
979.494 Lunenfeld
owning_library_or
Case Memorial Library
owning_location_or
Case Memorial Library
primary_isbn
9780525561934
publishDate
2020
publisher
Viking
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Civilization -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
Popular culture -- California -- Los Angeles -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
Popular culture -- California -- Los Angeles -- History -- 20th century
title_display
City at the edge of forever : Los Angeles reimagined
title_full
City at the edge of forever : Los Angeles reimagined / Peter Lunenfeld
title_short
City at the edge of forever
title_sub
Los Angeles reimagined
topic_facet
Civilization
History
Popular culture
Social life and customs
History
Popular culture
Social life and customs
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b26529002 | .i64586558 | Madison/Scranton Adult Nonfiction | 979.494 LUNENFELD | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | maan | |||||
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ils:.b26529002 | .i64528492 | Meriden Adult Non-Fiction | 979.494 LU | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | mean |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b26529002 | Book | Books | English | Viking | ©2020 | 326 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
scoping_details_or
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ils:.b26529002 | .i64586558 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 | ||
ils:.b26529002 | .i64520985 | On Shelf | On Shelf | true | true | true | false | false | true | 9999 | ||
ils:.b26529002 | .i64528492 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 |