This book is really quite dull and outdated. It's a must-read only for die-hard enthusiasts of L.A. history who want to pick up a few more tidbits. For those with a budding interest, I recommend Blake Gumprect's highly readible and fascinating "The Los Angeles River" or Carey McWilliams' enjoyable "Southern California." If you add William McCawley's "The First Angelinos," Horace Bell's "Reminiscences of a Ranger," and John and LaRee Caughey's "Los Angeles: Biography of a City," you will have a much more well-rounded perspective on L.A. than you will get from Fogelson's book alone. Fogelson's book reads like a cross between popular history and a city planning textbook, yet with none of the interesting aspects of either style.

This book is really quite dull and outdated. It's a must-read only for die-hard enthusiasts of L.A. history who want to pick up a few more tidbits. For those with a budding interest, I recommend Blake Gumprect's highly readible and fascinating "The Los Angeles River" or Carey McWilliams' enjoyable "Southern California." If you add William McCawley's "The First Angelinos," Horace Bell's "Reminiscences of a Ranger," and John and LaRee Caughey's "Los Angeles: Biography of a City," you will have a much more well-rounded perspective on L.A. than you will get from Fogelson's book alone. Fogelson's book reads like a cross between popular history and a city planning textbook, yet with none of the interesting aspects of either style.