Category Archives: Books and Authors

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide: ‘Making Black Los Angeles’

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

I only recommend books that I have read, which is why I haven’t listed Susan Orlean’s “The Library Book” or Stephen Gee’s “Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon.” I look forward to reading both of them, but I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, African Americans, Books and Authors, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

December 20, 1947: Pulp Author Rob Eden Dies | Author of ‘Short Skirts: A Story of Modern Youth’

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. And at the age of 55, after dozens of novels and countless short stories, he died. Not that you’ve heard of him or any of his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 1 Not a Prime Suspect

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT mini-series “I Am the Night” or listening to the eight-part podcast accompanying the production. Reason No. 1: Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1949, 1950, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 17, 1947: Frightening Food From the 1940s — ‘Unusual’ Fruitcake

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project..   Bonus factoid: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a $2,500 fine against Hollywood book dealer Marcell Rodd for selling the obscene book “Call House … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Comics, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, Frightening Food From the 1940s | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 17, 1947: Frightening Food From the 1940s — ‘Unusual’ Fruitcake

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi. Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: “Little Shoes,” about the murders of three little girls, may not be everybody’s idea of an appropriate holiday gift, but it is more than a “true crime” book. In “Little Shoes” Pamela Everett explores her family’s tragic history in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Paul Bryan Gray was recently mentioned in the Los Angeles Times as the author of “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco Ramirez, who published Los Angeles’ first entirely Spanish-language newspaper, … Continue reading →

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Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2015. Jim Romenesko, for those who aren’t in the news business, runs an essential blog that serves as a clearing house for information, gossip, bad headlines and assorted gaffes. A Jan. 6 post … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, 1958, Books and Authors, Columnists | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Al Martinez, a Dying Boy and Some Peaches — A (Non) Christmas Story

Nowhere to Go but Up: L.A. Times Seeks a Book Editor

Posted on December 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Quakebot, the annoying Twitter account that erupts in panic whenever there is a 2.1 quake in Hayfork, Calif., was silent last Sunday, so apparently there was no seismic upheaval in El Segundo when Mark Manson’s “The Subtle Art of Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors | Tagged , | 7 Comments

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. You might have to hunt a bit for Don Normark’s 1999 book “Chavez Ravine, 1949,” but your search will be rewarded. The photos are terrific and the residents’ recollections make the book even … Continue reading →

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Dec, 7, 2006: Note to "Dahlia Avenger" Fans

Posted on December 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Here’s a publicity still of “Maddy” Comfort from “Kiss Me Deadly” for sale on EBay. Her name is also spelled “Mattie” and “Mady.” Comfort is referred to in the Los Angeles County … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2006, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Found on EBay, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec, 7, 2006: Note to "Dahlia Avenger" Fans

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Glen Creason’s book on maps of Los Angeles shows the many ways people have viewed the city over the years. I interviewed him for The Times in 2012 and fortunately for all concerned, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Books and Authors, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Mary Mallory’s posts are one of the L.A. Daily Mirror’s most popular features, so we are happy to recommend “Hollywoodland”; “Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays,” written with Karie Bible; “Hollywood at Play,” written … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

December 1, 1907: L.A. Author Writes of Life in the Hollow Earth (No Sign of Lizard People)

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. December 1, 1907 Los Angeles The Times runs a small blurb on writer Willis George Emerson, noting that the National Magazine has begun serializing a new story, “The Smoky God.” The Times … Continue reading →

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Nov. 21, 1947: Judge Tells Joel Thorne to Quit ‘Fooling Around’ With Racecars, Nightclubs

Posted on November 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Joel Thorne apparently ignored the warning and on Oct. 17, 1955, the millionaire playboy race-car driver plunged his Beachcraft Bonanza into an apartment building at 11948 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nov. 21, 1947: Judge Tells Joel Thorne to Quit ‘Fooling Around’ With Racecars, Nightclubs

1423 S. Van Ness

Posted on November 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

As promised, here are views of the home of Mrs. E.N. Eskey, featured in The Times in 1907. Note the damaged chimney, presumably the victim of seismic Darwinism. And as a bonus, here’s the home of Igor Stravinsky, which I … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on 1423 S. Van Ness

Nov. 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson Drafts a Los Angeles of the Future

Posted on November 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 15, 1907 Los Angeles Architect Charles Mulford Robinson has drafted a proposal for downtown Los Angeles that is stunning in its ambition. One portion calls for broad boulevard leading from a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, City Hall, Downtown, LAPD, Pasadena, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nov. 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson Drafts a Los Angeles of the Future

Another Good Story Ruined: Karina Longworth’s ‘Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood’

Posted on November 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here’s a “fun” challenge. How many mistakes can you spot on the first page of “Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood?”   A friend who has written many distinguished books on Hollywood emailed me over the weekend … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments