Deco LAndmarks: Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles

As a current member of 3 Art Deco Socities (NY, LA and Chicago)and owner of at least 30 books on Art Deco, this book told me nothing new or enlightning. I am not in any way a Deco authority, but it would be nice to read (and see) something new about LA. Most photos are a rehash of already printed material and many need additional shots to explain the architecture. For example: the Wiltern Theatre. The interior is 1000% more fantastic than the one exterior photo used. The Wiltern is one of the best examples of theatre deco ever designed.But, for those that have never set foot in LA, this book may suffice their deco urge.

If you're "into" this sort of thing--and you enjoy marveling at Deco Architecture and sculptural designs--L.A.'s treasures add up to the next most bountiful trove of this type offered by the Three Deco Capitals of the U.S. (the Big Apple and ChiTown lead the way). But clearly the City where the aesthetic entered our collective consciousness by way of its movie product and its film set designs is the obvious place to look. LA's major growth occurred during the heyday of Deco and so much of its urban conceptualization was permeated by that design sense. This author is very informative regarding the artists and designers that created LA's "gems." So it provides an interesting read as well as enthralling eye-candy.

As a lover of all things L.A., I was delighted to find this little gem and add it to my collection. It should be a handy guide when exploring the city.

Arnold Schwartzman has taken all the photos in this lovely book and as he says in the introduction he decided to focus mostly on detail rather than a whole building. A wise choice because so much of what he covers is not exactly at eye level. Just flick through the pages and be amazed at the amount of exterior Deco delights still standing and hopefully now preserved.Hundreds of photos are arranged in these four chapters, Tile & Terrazzo, Glass & Neon, Stone & Plaster and Metal & Wood and as Schwartzman took them the color and compositions have a pleasant evenness throughout the pages and this certainly makes all the detail sparkle.I particularly liked the chapter on stone and plaster with dozens of photos showing just how creative some stonemasons were decades ago, just look pages 122-123 and see six stunning interpretations of the American Eagle.If you live in Los Angles this super book will be a useful checklist of what to see (the captions all give the street address) for others, like me, it is a good visual record of the best Art Deco gems in LA.2007 UPDATE: Schwartzman has published a similar book about Art Deco in London (ISBN 1845132432) lots of photos especially of exterior detailing not really visible from the ground.***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This book is a must for lovers of Art Deco architecture (which I am)and for lovers of Los Angeles (which I also am)and for those who are tired of east coast critics who decry Los Angeles as being void of architecture. To say that is so far from the truth and this book illustrates it perfectly.