Bøker utgitt av Santa Monica Press

"In the late 1870s, Los Angeles was a violent, dusty, 29-square-mile pueblo with a few thousand souls, largely unchanged since its founding in 1781. By 1930s, its size had swelled to within 96% of its current 468 square miles, housing a staggering 1.2 million people. In just 50 years, L.A. had joined the ranks of other world-class cities. In the tradition of Mike Davis's classic work City of Quartz, Paul Haddad debunks many myths about the City of Angels with a narrative that sheds new light on the fascinating birth of modern Los Angeles."--Provided by publisher.

WINNER OF THE 2024 GRATEFUL AMERICAN BOOK PRIZE FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION!Ray Elias is a precocious but withdrawn sixteen-year-old growing up in an affluent suburb of New York in the early sixties. Numbed by the assassination of President Kennedy, Ray chances upon a TV documentary about the most recent presidential election and is drawn to the ebullient senator from Minnesota, Hubert Humphrey, who unsuccessfully challenged John Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.With the senator as his newfound hero, Ray fashions a mission for himself: make Humphrey Lyndon Johnson’s running mate in 1964. To the amazement of his friends and cynical father, Humphrey learns of Ray’s plan to lobby the delegates and, impressed with his sincerity and ambition, takes Ray under his wing.Ray enters college as the senator is elected vice president, but the relationship unravels when Humphrey becomes an ardent public supporter of the Vietnam War, despite his personal belief in the war’s futility. As the tension between them grows and their bond deteriorates, Ray is devastated by his loss of faith in Humphrey. However, he finds consolation for his disappointment in Ruth, a spirited classmate from the other side of the tracks who teaches him understanding and empathy.As Ray matures to young adulthood he reconnects with Humphrey—who has by now achieved a political revival and is mulling a fresh run at the presidency—and the two reconcile after Humphrey finally acknowledges his breach of Ray’s trust, and Ray forgives his former mentor.Loosely based on the author’s real-life relationship with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Humphrey and Me portrays the often highly emotional journey that comes with embracing our heroes, while set against the backdrop of the tempestuous political eras of the 1960s and ’70s.

The author of Ventura and Zelzah follows up that critically acclaimed debut novel with Ventura and Winnetka, a stand-alone work that furthers the adventures of Douglas and his friends as they come of age in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley in the late 1970s.As seniors in high school, the gang spends their final year before college practicing crazy car stunts, getting high, obsessing about girls, passionately listening to the great rock and roll of the ’60s and ’70s, arguing about the Dodgers and the Lakers, and partying at the prom in powder blue tuxedos.From a West Hollywood porn theater to a punk rock club in Chinatown to the site of the Manson murders, the Valley boys also begin to spread their wings as they explore the city of Los Angeles, located “just over the hill” from where they live.Like Ventura and Zelzah, the stand-alone Ventura and Winnetka is a funny, poignant, and nostalgic coming-of-age tale about the relationships of teenagers on the verge of adulthood. The re-creation of the Valley culture of the late 1970s is palpable and magical.

Chasing Dreams: The True Story of the Youngest Female Tevis Cup Champion is the incredible, action-packed memoir of Sanoma Blakeley's 2019 Tevis Cup championship, won while riding her beloved horse Goober, and the tale of how she became the youngest woman to ever become a Tevis Cup champion. Beginning her endurance riding career at the age of seven, Blakeley writes about the years of training and teamwork required to win the most challenging and famous 100-mile horse race in the world aboard a horse she had originally acquired for free off of Craigslist.

A city girl emerges from grief and discovers her inner self through a passion for surfing.

"Featuring hundreds of photographs, this fully illustrated, updated, and revised encyclopedic look at the locations of the most famous and infamous pop culture events includes the fascinating history of over a thousand landmarks--as well as their exact location. With up-to-date information for the sites included in Epting's five original titles, plus dozens and dozens of new additions, It Happened Right Here is an amazing portrait of the bizarre, shocking, weird and wonderful moments that have come to define American popular culture"--

Between 1943 and 1944, nearly 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were rescued from the Holocaust, including thousands who had already been rounded up and put on trains bound for death camps in Poland. Dominic Carrillo's suspenseful novel Acts of Resistance is based on the true story of this incredibly heroic effort by the citizens of Bulgaria. In Carrillo's powerful account, he skillfully weaves together a thrilling tale told by three alternating teenage narrators: Misho, Peter, and Lily. Misho, an 18-year-old Jewish boy, is a prominent archbishop's driver, hiding his identity while helping his boss directly challenge the Bulgarian government's pro-Nazi policies. Peter, 17, is determined to save his Jewish neighbors by confronting parliament members in the capital, then taking up arms to fight with a partisan rebel communist group. Lily, 19, works for the collaborationist government office in charge of evicting and deporting Jews to concentration camps. When she witnesses the evil results of her desk job, Lily becomes a spy who leaks information to Jewish community leaders in order to prevent further atrocities. As the characters' lives become more endangered and their unsung roles in saving Jewish citizens are revealed, the reader is treated to a tension-filled adventure surrounding one of the greatest unknown acts of heroism associated with the Holocaust. Acts of Resistance will have you on the edge of your seat as Misho, Peter, and Lily face and overcome extremely perilous situations, ultimately triumphing as they each help to lead the people of Bulgaria to rise up against the Nazis and save their nearly 50,000-strong Jewish population from extinction.

In Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety, Yvonne Castaneda shares vibrant stories of her childhood growing up in Miami as the daughter of humble immigrants from Mexico and Cuba . . . and how she came to develop an unhealthy relationship with food.To help ease her mami's nervios, Yvonne becomes a perfectionist from a young age, achieving high grades at school and mastering the piano. But as her Cuban family members openly make comments about her awkward desarrollo, or puberty, Yvonne enters a new phase of self-consciousness that begins her obsession with weight.She abandons the piano for the high school cheerleading team, and reinvents herself, becoming both skinny and popular. However, as a first-generation adolescent born in the United States, Yvonne wrestles with the conflict between the cultural norms of her Hispanic/Latino heritage and American societal expectations. Plagued by doubt and low self-esteem, Yvonne begins a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss, as she battles Bulimia Nervosa. Beleaguered by feelings of guilt, shame, and inferiority, she develops anxiety, depression, and a reliance on dangerous coping mechanisms.Ultimately, sage advice from her dear abuela in Guadalajara, Mexico, guides Yvonne to a realization that shifts her perspective of herself and the purpose of her life, providing a foundation for inner peace, and la solucin to her past struggles.

10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 52 Walking Adventures is for urban adventurers with a passion for healthy living who are also hungry to explore L.A.s hidden, unsung, and sometimes quirky side. This unique guidebook provides everything readers need to venture out and tackle the citys 500 square miles.The book is based on a concept that first took hold in Japanthat if people walked 10,000 steps each day, they would burn 20 percent of their caloric intake through that activity alone. Now an ingrained part of the American lifestyle, the 10,000 steps phenomenon is taking the country by storm; it is now a recognized daily goal by a number of major insurance companies like Kaiser Permanente and health institutes such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Heart Foundation.In this first-ever book to explore the 10,000 steps concept in the City of Angels, these walks take readers through the terrain that makes Los Angeles the envy of many a metropolisbeaches, mountains, rivers, and reservoirs, not to mention the nations largest urban park, Griffith Parkall while immersing them in the citys history and lore, offbeat locales, and popular landmarks.10,000 Steps a Day in L.A. promises three things: 10,000 steps in each walk, a blueprint for doing it each weekend of the year (52 walks equals a years worth of weekends), and a sense of fun and discovery about L.A. that will only make the 10,000 steps goal that much easier to attain. Readers need bring only their feetpedometers optional.

Flowing with the Pearl River: Autobiography of a Red China Girl is a young adult memoir about Amy Chan Zhou and her family's struggles to survive in China from the time the Communists took power in 1949 through the end of the Mao era in 1976. Narrated through the eyes and voice of Chan Zhou, Flowing with the Pearl River is an insightful, accurate, and in-depth look at the devastating impact the many political campaigns and revolutions had on multiple generations of her family. As the Communists take control of the country in 1949, we follow the harrowing experiences of Chan Zhou's great-grandparents, grandparents, father, and mother during the branding of landlords, business owners, and scholars as "bad elements" and "class enemies." The author and her family members were among those whose lives were shattered and who suffered from the political campaigns and revolutions.The struggles continue as the Communist political leaders pit people against people and breed fear and distrust by coercing informants to turn on innocent citizens, forcing re-education in labor camps and instigating the Cultural Revolution. Chan Zhou's personal observations and emotional experiences are at the heart of the story from her childhood and middle school years in China to her father's escape to Hong Kong and Chan Zhou's eventual immigration to the United States at age 14. Chan Zhou's childhood stories as a wild child growing up in the countryside with primitive conditions are marked by the family's everyday struggle to obtain food, the hardship that resulted when Chan Zhou's school became a child labor camp, and the horror of attending "public denouncing" meetings and witnessing relatives being tortured on a stage. However, Chan Zhou's childhood also featured rural beauty and the simple joys of raising farm animals or catching fish in a local river. When Chan Zhou sells vegetables in the black market, she is accused of being a "little capitalist trader"; the death of Mao ultimately saves her from being sent to a detention center, and her family's destiny is forever altered by Deng Xiaoping's reform that allowed Chan Zhou's family to reunite in Hong Kong and their subsequent immigration to the USA.A blend of Wild Swans and The Red Scarf Girl, Flowing with the Pearl River presents rich and detailed depictions of one family's painful experiences during Communism and the Cultural Revolution in China. It is a comprehensive and vividly accurate portrayal of the impact of those events on Chinese culture and society that remains largely unknown to modern readers and risks being forgotten. Flowing with the Pearl River aims to ensure that this history and the memories of millions of families similar to Chan Zhou's remain alive and remembered for eternity.

Provides a mature, unfiltered look at the horrors of the Nazi invasion of Romania and the Transnistrian Death March, a side of the Holocaust never covered in YA literature.Does not flinch in its portrayal of the Nazi's rape and murder of Jews, including a realistic portrayal of what young Jews like Daniela were often forced to do in order to survive.Shows the heroic deeds of the partisans and how their actions helped save the lives of many Jews and helped to defeat the Nazis.Features a strong female heroine who overcomes her personal tragedies, escapes certain death in the Transnistria camp, and joins the resistance to help lead the fight against the Nazis.Aims to ensure that the history and the memories of millions of Jewish families who suffered fates similar to Daniela's family remain alive and remembered for eternity by introducing the horrors of the era to young adults, especially those of Jewish descent.

Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles is a sequel to the popular Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, and features another collection of exciting urban walks through parks, canyons, and neighborhoods unknown and unseen by most Angelinos. Each walk is rated for duration, distance, and difficulty, and is accompanied by a map.The walks, like those in Secret Stairs, are filled with fascinating factoids about historical landmarksthe original Bat Cave from Batman, the lake where Opie learned to fish on The Andy Griffith Show, or the storage barn for one of L.A.s oldest wineries. The book also highlights the people who made the landmarks famous: the infamous water engineer William Mulholland; the convicted murderer and philanthropist Colonel Griffith J. Griffith; Charles Lummis, who walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to take a job on the L.A. Times; and tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney, who dug canals to drain the marshes south of Santa Monica and create his American Venice.Written in the entertainingly informed style that has made Secret Stairs a Los Angeles Times best-seller, Secret Walks is the perfect book for the walker eager to explore but tired of the crowds at Runyon Canyon or Temescal Park.

In 1868, a New England factory girl sets out to invent a machine that will automate the paper-bag-manufacturing process where she works, while placing her and her fellow female workers on equal pay terms with their male counterparts.Fifteen-year-old Mattie is a mechanic in Columbia Papers all-female bag division. With paper bag sales booming after the Civil War, her boss expands the division by hiring men from his old Army regiment, including the mechanic Frank.Sparks instantly fly between Mattie and Frank, and their budding romance has her walking on airuntil she discovers Franks pay is higher than hers. In fact, all the men receive thirty percent more than their female counterparts. The bosss rationale? Men are inherently better with machines.Determined to prove him wrong, Mattie proposes a bet: If she can build a machine that fully automates their paper-bag-making process, the women will receive equal pay. If she fails, shell resign as mechanic. The boss accepts, with one condition: Frank will also build a machine, and Matties must beat his.Matties determination in the face of overwhelming prejudice in the workplace and, eventually, the courtroom, makes her story an inspiring feminist narrative. Mattie and the Machine also includes the technical challenges that Mattie encounters in taking her invention from initial concept to working prototype.Mattie and the Machine is a fictionalized yet historically accurate account of real-life inventor Margaret Knights fight to obtain recognition as a 19thcentury female inventor (she would eventually be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006), and an entertaining tale filled with romance, competition, treachery, and a feisty and brilliant female heroine who excels in STEM-related tasks.

L.A.s Landmark Restaurants:Celebrating the Legendary Locations Where Angelenos Have Dined for Generationsfollows in the footsteps of George Gearys now classic and critically acclaimed book, L.A.s Legendary Restaurants.L.A.s Landmark Restaurantsis an illustrated history of over 50 famous Los Angeles restaurants from throughout the 20th century that were not featured in Gearys first book. The focus in L.A.'s Landmark Restaurantsis on restaurants where Angelenosrather than celebritieshave been dining for generations.Along with recipes made famous by each restaurant,L.A.s Landmark Restaurantscontains profiles of such legendary eateries as Coles, Philippe the Original, Pacific Dining Car, The Original Pantry Cafe, The Victor Hugo, Canters Delicatessen, Sportsmen's Lodge,Mocambo, Naten Als, The Smoke House, Tail o the Pup, The Apple Pan, Valentino,and dozens of other beloved establishments in this beautiful tribute to Los Angeles and its historic restaurants.Each location profiled is illustrated with a collection of historic and contemporary photographs and ephemerasuch as menus, matchbooks, and advertisementsand every entry features a short history of therestaurant, entertaining anecdotes, and such details as the year of opening, address, phone number (both original and current), type of cuisine, and the name of the restaurant's founder.Recipes made famous by the restaurant, updated for todays cook and kitchen by Chef Geary, will satisfy anyone seeking to replicate their favorite dish from these legendary restaurants and their chefs.Truly a love letter to Los Angeles and its world famous cuisine, L.A.s Landmark Restaurantsis sure to bring back treasured memories and knowing smiles from anyone who has dined at these fabled establishments.

Since forming in 1889, Orange County, California has become famous all over the world for being home to such popular attractions as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. But there are also many other places that helped establish the county as not just a popular tourist destination, but also home to countless cultural landmarks that served the local communities for generations. Stretching across the 34 cities that comprise "The OC," Lost Landmarks of Orange County brings back fabulous memories of music venues, restaurants, theaters, theme parks, attractions, and more. Everybody knows the aforementioned Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, but Orange County was also home to Lion Country Safari, the California Alligator Farm, the Buffalo Ranch, Japanese Village and Deer Park, Movieland Wax Museum, the Orange County International Raceway, and many other large-scale attractions. Concert venues including the Golden Bear, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, and the Cuckoo's Nest all featured some of the biggest names in rock and roll and popular music. Tiki bars, airports, drive-in movie theaters, themed restaurants . . . these were the places where generations of OC natives and visitors from around the world created memories that would last a lifetime. Today, all of these locations are gone, but utilizing firsthand accounts, rare photos, artifacts, and other resources, Lost Landmarks of Orange County keeps the colorful memories of Orange County's past alive.

When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care is an illustrated guide to the care and behavior of rabbits with special needs. The book provides information on topics as diverse as how to administer subcutaneous fluids to a rabbit and how sounds and color help promote healing.Quotes from top rabbit veterinarians and alternative healing practitioners from across the country are included, as are useful tips from rabbit owners who have had experience in dealing with particular medical conditions. The text is illustrated with both photographs and drawings, making it easy for readers to follow.Authors Lucile C. Moore and Kathy Smith provide pet owners with special-needs rabbits with information on basic care, pain control, digestive system problems, chronic illnesses, physically challenged rabbits, progressive disabilities causing mobility problems, dental care, elderbuns, and emotional issues.

Bingo!: 40 Years in the NBA is the memoir of legendary Los Angeles Clippers and sports broadcaster Ralph Lawler. The book covers Lawler's extraordinary life and career, from his childhood in Peoria, Illinois; through his time at Bradley University; to the beginning of his sports announcing career at the Riverside International Raceway; his years spent in Philadelphia with the Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers; his years in San Diego with the Sails and the Chargers; and culminating in his 40-year career with the Clippers. Along the way, basketball and the NBA is the focus of the book, with Lawler's observations and stories about players, coaches, and teams from the 1940s through his retirement at the close of the 2019 season forming the core of the book. Included among the myriad stories and reflections will be his relationships with NBA legend Bill Walton, infamous Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Clippers GM and NBA great Elgin Baylor, and a variety of famous players and coaches from throughout the NBA. As Lawler used to famously say from behind the microphone, "e;Fasten your seatbelts!"e; Bingo! is a fun-filled journey through professional basketball, with plenty of "e;Oh me, Oh my!"e; moments, and the definitive answer to the burning question all NBA fans want to know: Is there any truth to "e;Lawler's Law"e;?

From cell phone users in yoga classes to Zoom yoga participants sneaking wine and cheese off camera to those folks who just can't help peeking during meditation sessions, The Lighter Side of Yoga presents the humorous and offbeat aspects of yoga through Mike Nevitt’s satiric comics.The many true-to-life situations in the book are based on Nevitt's experiences and observations over a 30-year period as a full-time yoga and meditation teacher. Aside from providing good laughs, Nevitt aims to gently poke those teachers and students who might have a tendency to take themselves and the practice of yoga a little too seriously.Yoga and mindfulness practitioners will smile knowingly as they recognize the all-too-familiar scenarios which Nevitt skewers throughout the book. So settle into your favorite yoga pose and let The Lighter Side of Yoga get your chakras spinning!

Steve Adelman's humorous and engaging memoir reflects on his years as the director of some of the world's most popular nightclubs, including the Roxy, Limelight, Tunnel, and Palladium in the heyday of clubs in New York City during the 1980s and 1990s, followed by Avalon (Boston, Hollywood, and Singapore locations), and the New Daisy Theatre in Memphis. Nocturnal Admissions is a timely, nonconventional look at one of pop culture's most outwardly glamorous, yet misunderstood industries, bringing the reader backstage into the world of nightlife at its highest level. Wearing the multiple hats of ringmaster, entrepreneur, guidance counselor, multimillion-dollar dealmaker, and music soothsayer, Adelman chronicles an improbable journey from small town to big city, filled with a cast of characters he could never have imagined: People named Hedda Lettuce, Jenetalia, Maxi Min, Jiggy, who collide with and around the likes of Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Sir Richard Branson, Leonardo DiCaprio, RuPaul, Rudy Giuliani, and Snoop Dogg, among many, many others. Navigating city crackdowns, crazed partners, and cultural differences, Adelman relates how he watched his Nana out-dance an ex-NFL lineman, was chastised by Bob Dylan, launched the EDM musical movement, helped created the "e;mash up"e; with Perry Farrell, butted heads with Jerry Falwell, rang in the New Year with Matt Damon's mother, leveraged porn star Jenna Jameson, relied on advice from felons, almost pancaked Prince, and built the world's most lavish nightclub.Nocturnal Admissions is a hilarious, adrenaline-filled ride through the peak decades of the world's most famous nightclubs and nightlife scenes.

Fans of contemporary video games, as well as fans of the arcades and classic video games of the 1980s and 1990s will want to buy this book for its one-of-a-kind look behind the scenes at the video game industry during its Golden AgeAnyone interested in the early days of computers and computer graphics, as well as tracing the history of how we arrived at the digital video gaming age will be fascinated by this first-hand account of how the technology developed and changed over the years.Warren Davis created, programmed, or helped develop some of the most legendary video games of all time: Q*bert, Mortal Kombat, Joust 2, Revolution X, NBA JamWarren Davis worked with some of the most legendary video game designers and programmers of all time, including Eugene Jarvis, Tim Skelly, Ed Boon, and Jeff Lee.

Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles explores how social, economic, political, and cultural demands created the web of expressways whose very form-futuristic, majestic, and progressive-perfectly exemplifies the City of Angels. From the Arroyo Seco, which began construction during the Great Depression, to the Simi Valley and Century Freeways, which were completed in 1993, author Paul Haddad provides an entertaining and engaging history of the 527 miles of road that comprise the Los Angeles freeway system. Each of Los Angeles's twelve freeways receives its own chapter, and these are supplemented by "e;Off-Ramps"e;-sidebars that dish out pithy factoids about Botts' Dots, SigAlerts, and all matter of freeway lexicon, such as why Southern Californians are the only people in the country who place the word "e;the"e; in front of their interstates, as in "e;the 5,"e; or "e;the 101."e; Freewaytopia also explores those routes that never saw the light of day. Imagine superhighways burrowing through Laurel Canyon, tunneling under the Hollywood Sign, or spanning the waters of Santa Monica Bay. With a few more legislative strokes of the pen, you wouldn't have to imagine them-they'd already exist. Haddad notably gives voice to those individuals whose lives were inextricably connected-for better or worse-to the city's freeways: The hundreds of thousands of mostly minority and lower-class residents who protested against their displacement as a result of eminent domain. Women engineers who excelled in a man's field. Elected officials who helped further freeways . . . or stop them dead in their tracks. And he pays tribute to the corps of civic and state highway employees whose collective vision, expertise, and dedication created not just the most famous freeway network in the world, but feats of engineering that, at their best, achieve architectural poetry. Finally, let's not forget the beauty queens-no freeway in Los Angeles ever opened without their royal presence.

Do You Have a Naughty Mind?Some readers of Mike McCoy's Earplug Erotica will simply see earplugs placed in a variety of domestic and outdoor settings.Others might see earplugs representing people of all genders and orientation engaged in a wide variety of bawdy activities!What do you see? Do you think these earplugs belong in Playboy magazine . . . or Audiology Today? What you see inside Earplug Erotica may say more about how you view the world than you care to admit! One thing is for certain: After browsing through Earplug Erotica, you will never see the humble earplug in quite the same way ever again.

Damon DiMarco's Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 (20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition), eternally preserves a monumental tragedy in American history through the voices of the people who were in New York City on that fateful day. At the same time, the individuals featured in the book speak to the myriad ways by which Americans rose to meet the challenges presented by 9/11, and celebrates the many heroes that are found within its pages. In the tradition of Studs Terkel, DiMarco's literary time capsule includes a wide variety of viewpoints, including: The small group of people who miraculously made it safely down from the 89th floor of Tower 1, the New York Times reporter who desperately fought her way through the fleeing crowds to get back into Lower Manhattan, the paramedic who set up a triage area 200 yards from the base of the Towers before they collapsed, and the bereaved citizens of New York City who struggled to get on with their lives in the days and months following the tragic event, among dozens of others. The original edition of Tower Stories was one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed books on 9/11 ever published, and for this 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, DiMarco has conducted additional interviews that offer a contemporary perspective on the 9/11 tragedy. The individuals DiMarco interviewed for the new edition include: * Alice Greenwald (President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) * Father Jim Martin (New York Times bestselling author) * Tom Haddad (survivor of the 89th floor, Tower 1) * Stephen Adly Guirgis (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright). The 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of DiMarco's moving oral history preserves all of the voices from the original edition for generations to come, while offering new insights that benefit from twenty years of reflection on the world-shattering event. The voices in Tower Stories are in turn haunting and heartbreaking, always emotional, yet ultimately heroic. It's no wonder that MSNBC called Tower Stories "e;Arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11,"e; while Publishers Weekly wrote that "e;DiMarco's contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous; the testimonies collected here form a one-of-a-kind account."e;

Containing walks and detailed maps from throughout the city, Secret Stairs highlights the charms and quirks of a unique feature of the Los Angeles landscape, and chronicles the geographical, architectural, and historical aspects of the citys staircases, as well as of the neighborhoods in which the steps are located.From strolling through the classic La Loma neighborhood in Pasadena to walking the Sunset Junction Loop in Silver Lake, to taking the Beachwood Canyon hike through Hollywoodland to enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the Castellammare district in Pacific Palisades, Secret Stairs takes you on a tour of the staircases all across the City of Angels.The circular walks, rated for duration and difficulty, deliver tales of historic homes and their fascinating inhabitants, bits of unusual local trivia, and stories of the neighborhoods surrounding the stairs. Thats where William Faulkner was living when he wrote the screenplay for To Have and Have Not; that house was designed by Neutra; over there is a Schindler; thats where Woody Guthrie lived, where Anais Nin died, and where Thelma Todd was murdered . . .Despite the fact that one of these staircases starred in an Oscar-winning short filmLaurel and Hardys The Music Box, from 1932these civic treasures have been virtually unknown to most of the citys residents and visitors. Now, Secret Stairs puts these hidden stairways back on the map, while introducing urban hikers to exciting new trails all around the city of Los Angeles.