Greetings from Southern California: A Look at the Past Through Postcards

From the carefully manicured strands along the Santa Barbara coast to the vast and untamed expanses of the Mojave desert, 'Greetings form Southern California' invites the reader to journey through this colorful an diverse region as it is remembered...and celebrated..in early 20th century picture postcards. Lithochromed and hand-tinted in exquisite detail, this assemblage of postcards chronicles a history of places, events, and people who have helped to shape a culture that is distinctly Southern Californian. Images of early Hollywood light up the pages with delightfully brazen looks at the stars' homes...addresses included. The fledgling Tournament of Roses at Pasadena is captured in all of its elegant floral splendor. Sublime landscapes..yet undeveloped...are forever preserved. The posh interiors of the Hotel del Coronado and Alexandria contrast with the images of sand-flecked youngsters cavorting on the beaches and the zany animal farms such as Cawston's Ostriches. A stylishly upbeat and informative text by Monica Highland...one of the California's most prolific historical novelists...reveals with picturesque clarity that earthy, yet innocent charm of bygone era. The book also reveals a previously untold history in postcards; an aesthetic journey through the past with authentic messages from the reverse sides providing unabashed commentary and detail about life-styles during that period.