Book excerpt: "The most comprehensive guide over published to the man-made environment of Southern California. Contains hundreds of entries plus notes on city history, freeways, murals, and historic preservation. Also, a comprehensive bibliography, a photographic history of Los Angeles architecture, and an unequalled style glossary. David Gebhard and Robert Winter deftly pilot the enthusiast through one of the richest architectural regions in the world. With perception, understanding, and wit, the authors point out the classical monuments, the tacky copies, the sublime, and the bizarre. They lead us to the famous buildings and through the backstreets and alleys to find the unsung treasures. Loaded with maps and photographs."--Back cover.