Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Los Angeles deserves to be read today . . . as a model on how to read any city." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

Review

"In one volume [Banham] does the near-impossible: He makes us see this fragmented city [of Los Angeles] as a breathing whole."--Los Angeles Magazine

"Still as penetrating now as when Banham completed his observations on the city in 1971."--La Observed

"Banham wrote like a blissed-out lover, surrendering to his feelings of derangement and wonder while keeping his eyes wide-open."--Los Angeles Times

"Banham's book has remained au courant." --Palisadian Post --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (April 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520219244
• ISBN-13: 978-0520219243
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #86 in

  Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > International > United States

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LA Re-visited, July 14, 2006

By	James B. Garrison (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though Banham's book was written in the early '70's, it remains a cogent view of a metropolis that has changed yet remained the same. It is a place, yes a real place, that is defined by geography and the various cultures of its inhabitants to a unique degree. Architecture is but a backdrop to Banham's larger point about the inter-relationship of people to the natural and built environments. The perspective of 35 years only sharpens the observations made by the insightful author.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting to know LA from the ground up, July 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies (Penguin Art and Architecture) (Paperback)

Reyner Banham's writing is intelligent and entertaining. He has taken LA to heart and reveals how its "four ecologies" have affected its contemporary appearance and character. You'll not only learn how LA's architecture came to be as it is, but learn a great deal about the history and personality of the city as well. I read this book to get to know LA better. I couldn't have picked a better one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the Going Was Good, July 17, 2008

By	David Schweizer "Almawood" (Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews

Los Angeles. There were a few years there when Los Angles was the center of the world. 1965-1985, give or take a few years. Oh yes, even the Brits were raving. David Hockney had declared LA the best place to paint ("Splash") and Reyner Banham declared LA the city of tomorrow. Things were cooking and I was there. Then things started to go wrong. Spielberg and the boys from USC took over Hollywood and turned the city from a culture center into an amusement park. The pollution started to get too dangerous to laugh at. The gangs took over much of the fringe. There was Rodney King, O.J., riots, earthquakes, fires, gang warfare. All in all, the city was destroyed. Who knows what Banham might make of the place now. This is a great little book.