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Kevin Starr
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Material Dreams: Southern California through the 1920s (Americans and the California Dream)

by Kevin Starr (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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Kevin Starr is the foremost chronicler of the California dream and indeed one of the finest narrative historians writing today on any subject. The first two installments of his monumental cultural history, "Americans and the California Dream," have been hailed as "mature, well-proportioned and marvelously diverse (and diverting)" (The New York Times Book Review) and "rich in details and alive with interesting, and sometimes incredible people" (Los Angeles Times). Now, in Material Dreams, Starr turns to one of the most vibrant decades in the Golden State's history, the 1920s, when some two million Americans migrated to California, the vast majority settling in or around Los Angeles.
In a lively and eminently readable narrative, Starr reveals how Los Angeles arose almost defiantly on a site lacking many of the advantages required for urban development, creating itself out of sheer will, the Great Gatsby of American cities. He describes how William Ellsworth Smyth, the Peter the Hermit of the Irrigation Crusade, the self-educated, Irish engineer William Mulholland (who built the main aquaducts to Los Angeles), and George Chaffey (who diverted the Colorado River, transforming desert into the lush Imperial Valley) brought life-supporting water to the arid South. He examines the discovery of oil, the boosters and land developers, the evangelists (such as Bob Shuler, the Methodist Savanarola of Los Angeles, and Aimee Semple McPherson), and countless other colorful figures of the period. There are also fascinating sections on the city's architecture the impact of the automobile on city planning, the Hollywood film community, the L.A. literati, and much more.
By the end of the decade, Los Angeles had tripled in population and become the fifth largest city in the nation. In Material Dreams, Starr captures this explosive growth in a narrative tour de force that combines wide-ranging scholarship with captivating prose.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    019507260X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195072600
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    October 17, 1991
  5. Book 4 of 7
    Americans and the California Dream
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8.96 x 1.16 x 6.14 inches
  8. Print length
    496 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[I]f you like narrative history, you will like this book very much...His coverage of the wide circle of literati that surrounded Jake Zeitlin is incredibly rich...One can only be in awe of the broadness of Starr's reading. An extensive bibliography at the end of the book is convincing evidence of his preparation."--Robert Winter, Pacific Historical Review

"[A] masterfully detailed, readable account of America's most peculiar state and state of mind."--Joseph Rosenblum, Magill's Literary Annual

"A splendid achievement: impressively researched, expertly argued and nicely varied."--The Boston Sunday Globe

"An engaging, eccentric history of Southern California in the 20s...It has a sort of urban sprawl of its own, yet it manages to hang together in the way a three-ring circus does--a lot going on, clowns and trapeze artists and tigers, all under one awning...[R]ichly researched, informatie, fun to read...The writing is bright; it has substance, pace and vigor."--The Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Starr's excellent history of California here reaches a third volume...Many of these stories have been told before, but they bear retelling by a writer with Starr's narrative gifts. Highly recommended."--Library Journal

"Starr is the official historian of his home state, and this is the third volume in a brilliant work...The best history yet of what Starr call 'the Great Gatsby of American cities."--The Newark Star-Ledger

"Starr's California Dream series...has evolved into something much richer and more significant that Starr could reasonably expected when he began...He is an honest scholar and a skillful storyteller."--James Fallows, he Atlantic Monthly

Book Description

Kevin Starr's newest volume in his acclaimed cultural history of the Golden State

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (October 17, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 019507260X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195072600
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1520L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.53 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.96 x 1.16 x 6.14 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

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Kevin Starr

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

S. Pactor
5.0 out of 5 stars Starr Hits His Stride...
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2004
Verified Purchase
Starr hits his stride in this, his third in his epic series on the history of California. At last, Starr is free to focus on the subject that any reader can tell is "near and dear" to his heart: The emergence of Los Angeles as a full blown titan of a city. Although the subtitle to this book is "Southern California Through the 1920's", once again, it would be be more appropriate to hone in on the main subject and retitle the book "Los Angeles and Two Chapters on Santa Barbara Through the 1920's".
Again, not that I'm complaining. Perhaps because of Starr's intent focus on a single city, his talent really shines in this volume. This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in the last year.
The first section of the book deals with Southern California and Water. His sub chapter on the Imperial Valley is a real barn burner. I've never read such a complete account of the events in Imperial Valley in the early 20th century, and I would recommend the book for that reason alone.
The second and third sections tackle the emergence of Los Angeles society. Here, Starr goes on the offensive, tackling the idea that L.A. is a cultural wasteland. You can almost hear the voice of a professor lecturing undergraduates. Starr starts at economic institutions, discusses the people of Los Angeles and ends with a discussion of cultural institutions. The end of the third section deals with the "Santa Barbara" alternative.
For me, these two chapters were the least enjoyable in the book.
Fortunately, Starr rebounds with his treatment of literary and "biblio" society in LA. These chapters make for fascinating reading, and were a high point of the entire series. I certainly did not know that LA was a center of the rare book trade!
16 people found this helpful
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Kenneth Hannsgen
5.0 out of 5 stars How L. A. Happened
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book tells how Southern California, and Los Angeles in particular, took shape, with a focus on the 1920s when many of the city's defining characteristics and institutions fell into place. The notion of movers and shakers bringing into being the metropolis of their "dreams", provides a unifying theme.

The table of contents will give you a good idea of the topics covered here, but a lot of my interest was carried by the revealing sketches of the many extraordinary individuals involved in the story.

Starr emphasizes the white-dominated demographics and power structure of that era, and one sees the roots of ills that plague today's very different city.
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Breaking Brad
5.0 out of 5 stars Great account of 1920s LA growth
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2015
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Exhaustively researched and thoroughly detailed, this is an incredibly insightful, generally engaging look at a dynamic decade (the 1920s) in the making of a world-class city. The level of specificity on a range of topics is impressive given the scope of the subjectmatter. A significant achievement, ranking with Carey McWilliams' "Southern California, An Island on the Land."
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msri@msn.com
4.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant and detailed analysis of the rise of institutions
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 1997
I was a student of Dr. Starr's in the USC Master of Real Estate Development program in the early 1990's. Dr. Starr's analysis of California during the period is both thorough and enlightening. Dr. Starr gives particular emphasis to the Los Angeles element of California growth, with particular analysis of the Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles Police Department, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the University of Southern California and its training of careerist professionals rather than academics. I highly recommend this work, and by linkage, any of Dr. Starr's works
15 people found this helpful
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Karen E. Mansergh
3.0 out of 5 stars Kevin Starr's history is often too dry
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014
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I purchased this book to provide documentation for parts of a novel I am writing set in Los Angeles circa 1925. Found it to be moderately helpful, but lacking depth in many areas.
2 people found this helpful
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John A. Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2017
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Another excellent history of California. The focus on the great water "theft" in the state was of special interest.
One person found this helpful
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momo
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Information
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2013
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Very good for information on the history of Southern California, Los Angeles in particular. It covers general history, ethnic history, etc. Well-written and easy to read.
Would recommend it to anyone interested in history.
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Will duRANT IV
5.0 out of 5 stars The ONE book to read about LA and SoCal
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
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The ONE book to read if you have interest in -- much less love -- Los Angeles and Southern California.
2 people found this helpful
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