All Star Cast: An Anecdotal History of Los Angeles

by Stephen Longstreet

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0690011946
• ISBN13: 9780690011944
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: Not Avail
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

LA's myth and truth in the same place, an unprecedented feat

It's often said that in Los Angeles, the myth is more important than the truth, and certainly people seem to care more about the former than the latter. But Longstreet has managed to tell the truth about LA by recounting the myths and anecdotes, quite factually, quite humorously, and appropriately scathingly. He paints a portrait of LA that is both broader and deeper than anything that, for instance, Raymond Chandler ever did in his over-rated fiction, without all the self-agrandizement and hyperbole. Few native Angelenos (not to mention the 90% of the citizenry that's non-native) know anything about local history, which is hardly surprising in a town where it's common for a business to boast in its advertising, "An LA tradition since 1993," so this book seems to be nearly bursting with revelation. For example, Longstreet's recounting of the great LA Silk-Worm bubble is an amazing story, and at the same time practically the archetypal tale of Los Angeles. Anyone living in this city ought to read it. Anyone who wants to understand the psychology of American expansion ought to, too. Moreover, it is as entertaining as any work of fiction... except perhaps LA itself, which (as Longstreet demonstrates) is the most substantial work of fiction we Americans have ever produced