This book of vintage photographs, postcards, magazine ads, and other ephemera tells the story of Los Angeles from dusty pueblo to thriving metropolis.

Greetings from Los Angelestells the story of the city's long and largely forgotten history, from its early years as a tiny Spanish village through its many transitions over the centuries. Here are rare glimpses of Chinatown's evolution; the orange empire; backyard oil wells; Venice of America; the roaring 1920s and corrupt 1930s; glamorous Wilshire Boulevard; movie studios and the lavish movie star estates; as well as theme parks such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Marineland of the Pacific.

Through these images, readers witness the birth of midcentury modernism, futuristic Googie coffee shops, and the space-age Los Angeles International Airport. Author and architectural historian Peter Moruzzi offers insightful commentary that provides essential historical context