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MATERIAL DREAMS covers one of the most vibrant decades in California's history, the 1920s. Focusing mainly on Los Angeles, Starr reveals how this city arose almost defiantly on a site lacking many of the advantages normally required for urban development. He describes the importance of water and what it took to get the precious liquid to the arid South. He examines the ... More

MATERIAL DREAMS covers one of the most vibrant decades in California's history, the 1920s. Focusing mainly on Los Angeles, Starr reveals how this city arose almost defiantly on a site lacking many of the advantages normally required for urban development. He describes the importance of water and what it took to get the precious liquid to the arid South. He examines the discovery of oil, the boosters and land developers, the evangelists and the countless other colorful figures of the period. There are also fascinating sections on the impact of the automobile, the Hollywood film community, and much more. By the end of the decade, Los Angeles had become the fifth largest city in the nation. Starr captures this explosive growth with captivating prose.

"...vividly written, thoroughly researched, rich in details and alive with interesting, and sometimes incredible people." (Los Angeles Times)