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The mirage factory: illusion, imagination, and the invention of Los Angeles

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Language:
English
Description
"Little more than a century ago, the southern coast of California, bone-dry, harbor-less, isolated by deserts and mountain ranges, seemed destined to remain scrappy farmland. Then, as if overnight, one of the world's iconic cities emerged. At the heart of Los Angeles' meteoric rise were three flawed visionaries: William Mulholland, an immigrant ditch-digger turned self-taught engineer, designed the massive aqueduct that would make urban life here possible. D.W. Griffith, who transformed the motion picture from a vaudeville-house novelty into a cornerstone of American culture, gave L.A. its signature industry. And Aimee Semple McPherson, a charismatic evangelist who founded a religion, cemented the city's identity as a center for spiritual exploration. All were masters of their craft, but also illusionists, of a kind. The images they conjured up, of a blossoming city in the desert, of a factory of celluloid dreamworks, of a community of seekers finding personal salvation under the California sun, were like mirages liable to evaporate on closer inspection. All three would pay a steep price to realize these dreams, in a crescendo of hubris, scandal, and catastrophic failure of design that threatened to topple each of their personal empires. Yet when the dust settled, the mirage that was LA remained. Spanning the years from 1900 to 1930, The Mirage Factory is the enthralling tale of an improbable city and the people who willed it into existence by pushing the limits of human engineering and imagination.
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ISBN:
9780451496386
9780451496409
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Grouping Information

Grouped Work ID79c8d5c5-7de0-53f5-3db2-6832c9b6030a
Grouping Titlemirage factory illusion imagination and the invention of los angeles
Grouping Authorgary krist
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2024-03-28 02:11:39AM
Last Indexed2024-03-28 02:24:37AM

Solr Fields

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author
Krist, Gary
author_display
Krist, Gary
available_at_catalog
Central
North Natomas
Pocket-Greenhaven
Southgate
detailed_location_catalog
Central
North Natomas
Pocket-Greenhaven
Southgate
display_description
"Little more than a century ago, the southern coast of California, bone-dry, harbor-less, isolated by deserts and mountain ranges, seemed destined to remain scrappy farmland. Then, as if overnight, one of the world's iconic cities emerged. At the heart of Los Angeles' meteoric rise were three flawed visionaries: William Mulholland, an immigrant ditch-digger turned self-taught engineer, designed the massive aqueduct that would make urban life here possible. D.W. Griffith, who transformed the motion picture from a vaudeville-house novelty into a cornerstone of American culture, gave L.A. its signature industry. And Aimee Semple McPherson, a charismatic evangelist who founded a religion, cemented the city's identity as a center for spiritual exploration. All were masters of their craft, but also illusionists, of a kind. The images they conjured up, of a blossoming city in the desert, of a factory of celluloid dreamworks, of a community of seekers finding personal salvation under the California sun, were like mirages liable to evaporate on closer inspection. All three would pay a steep price to realize these dreams, in a crescendo of hubris, scandal, and catastrophic failure of design that threatened to topple each of their personal empires. Yet when the dust settled, the mirage that was LA remained. Spanning the years from 1900 to 1930, The Mirage Factory is the enthralling tale of an improbable city and the people who willed it into existence by pushing the limits of human engineering and imagination.
format_catalog
Book
eBook
format_category_catalog
Books
eBook
id
79c8d5c5-7de0-53f5-3db2-6832c9b6030a
isbn
9780451496386
9780451496409
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2024-03-28T09:24:37.294Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
979.494 K92 2018
owning_library_catalog
Sacramento Public Library
owning_location_catalog
Central
North Natomas
Pocket-Greenhaven
Southgate
primary_isbn
9780451496386
publishDate
2018
publisher
Crown
Crown Publishers
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Griffith, D. W. -- (David Wark), -- 1875-1948
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social conditions -- 20th century
McPherson, Aimee Semple, -- 1890-1944
Mulholland, William, -- 1855-1935
title_display
The mirage factory : illusion, imagination, and the invention of Los Angeles
title_full
The Mirage Factory Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles
The mirage factory : illusion, imagination, and the invention of Los Angeles / Gary Krist
title_short
The mirage factory
title_sub
illusion, imagination, and the invention of Los Angeles
topic_facet
Biography & Autobiography
Economic conditions
Griffith, D. W
History
McPherson, Aimee Semple
Mulholland, William
Nonfiction
Social conditions
Sociology

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