An illustrated cartographic history of the City of Angels from the colonial era to the present. "Los Angeles inhabits a place of the mind as much as it does a physical geographic space. A land of palm trees and movie stars, sunshine and glamour, the city exists in the imagination as a paradise; of course, the reality is far more expansive than this. Through seventy reproductions of seminal and historic documents, Los Angeles in Maps presents the evolution of this almost mythical place. Maps featured include historic maps from the early days of the pueblo that would become Los Angeles, to more recent, yet no less fascinating, topographic surveys, tourist guides, real estate maps, bird’s-eye views, and more. Winding naturally, like the course of the Los Angeles River, the book passes through essential terrain: the discovery of oil, the rise of Hollywood, the streetcar system, the Sleepy Lagoon murder and Zoot Suit riots, Los Angeles Harbor, earthquakes, sprawl, and splendor."--From dust jacket.