urban history

The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti (By the Book)

The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti (By the Book)

With discussions of characters like Leon Ray Livingston (a.k.a. "A-No. 1"), credited with consolidating the entire system of hobo communication in the 1910s, and Kathy Zuckerman, better known as the surf icon "Gidget", Susan A. Phillips' lavishly illustrated The City Beneath: A Century of Los Angeles Graffiti, excerpted here from Yale University Press, tells stories of small moments that collectively build into broad statements about power, memory, landscape, and history itself.

‘Country Comes to Town’ Illuminates Nashville’s and Country Music’s Internal Struggles

‘Country Comes to Town’ Illuminates Nashville’s and Country Music’s Internal Struggles

A fascinating piece of analysis about Music City, USA, Jeremy Hill's book is a thoughtful and thorough urban scholarship on origins and authenticity, among other things.