Review by Choice Review
Entries in this encyclopedia are of three kinds: broad overview articles, brief specific entries, and brief biographies. Unfortunately, see also references between the categories are insufficient; overviews on colleges, religion, and earthquakes give no indication that there are also entries for individual universities; for Buddhism, Hare Krishna, and Eastern religions; or on the Northridge earthquake. There is no cross-reference from "Police" to "Los Angeles Police" nor from "Television" to "Cable Television." All sports have overview articles; but only basketball has individual biographies for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and John Wooden. Subject headings do not conform to standard library usage: "Movie Industry" is used but not "Motion Pictures," and "Mormons" but not "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." Questions about inclusion abound. Why only nine movie biographies? Why one for Clark Gable but not John Wayne? Why only four music biographies (Beach Boys, Zubin Mehta, Arnold Schoenberg, Frank Zappa)? There are some inconsistent entries ("Los Angeles on Film" and "Fiction about Los Angeles"). None of the numerous women writers are included in the "Detective Fiction" article. Appendixes include a chronology, tables of population and incorporation, an organization chart, selected readings, and a filmography. Much useful and valuable information; a new edition with better organization will make it more valuable. K. F. Muther; California State University, Sacramento
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
What a browsing delight! What an informative source! This encyclopedic survey of Los Angeles County hits its mark. The approximately 2,000 alphabetically arranged entries, supported by 305 black-and-white illustrations, cover general topics such as earthquakes and the movie industry; more specific topics such as the Northridge earthquake and the Long Beach Grand Prix; and biographies of various people, some famous, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and some not so famous, like Pio Pico, Mexican governor of California in the mid-1800s. The succinct, readable entries cover history, geography, scandals, the arts, neighborhoods, and riots. Quotations about Los Angeles from various famous visitors and residents are scattered throughout the text, adding further insight. The illustrations provide glimpses of a Los Angeles County either long forgotten, unknown, or taken for granted. From AAA. "See Automobile Club of Southern California" to Zuma County Beach (head north on Pacific Coast Highway past Malibu, dudes!), the Pitts have really done their homework. Zorro, the ACLU, Kwanzaa, Crips and Bloods, and the riots of 1992 are all here. The entry on AIDS mentions the Los Angeles Board of Education's authorization of condom distribution in the city high schools. Michael Ovitz is still listed as chairperson of Creative Artists Agency although he most recently resigned from Disney. The entry on Bullock's Department Store doesn't mention the conversion of the closed art deco store into a law school's new library. But future editions are planned; so, presumably, these and other entries will be updated. Appendixes include a chronology, 1990 census population breakdowns, incorporation and consolidation of cities, and city and county government organization charts. The selected readings include books and articles available in regional libraries; novels reflecting life in Los Angeles County; and films. There is no index. This book would be a good addition to school, public, and academic libraries with urban-studies collections or well-thumbed travel sections. It will definitely fill a gap in regional studies.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
One of the major cities of the world finally gets a one-volume encyclopedia. As slippery as Los Angeles is to definesome call it 100 suburbs in search of a cityLeonard Pitt (emeritus, history, California State Univ., Northridge) and brother Dale, a freelance writer and indexer, have managed to get a competent grip on the history and lifestyle of the oft-ridiculed, always-envied city. Scholars will have to search long and hard to find anything worthwhile missing from this compendium. The entries range from a few paragraphs (Engine House #18, O.J. Simpson) to in-depth articles filled with valuable statistics and general information. The text is liberally sprinkled with illustrations and humorous quotes about the city, and the entire work is like a leisurely stroll through the life and times of this fascinating place. Even if your library isn't located anywhere near LaLa Land, seriously consider purchasing this compelling reference work for all of your patrons who will eventually end up visiting or even relocating there.Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
