All the Saints in LA

I run into this book everywhere--from a local history conclave at the Huntington to articles in the Los Angeles Times to an exhibit at the Autry (through October 5, 2008) to--the latest--an announcement from the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association that the book among five finalists in their non-fiction category for best book of the year.

So what is All the Saints of the City of the Angels?

It's an elaborately illustrated book--very beautiful, really--of 103 streets in Los Angeles named after saints. 103 vignettes as well, many tragic and touching. Artist and author J. Michael Walker links each street to its saint, dredging into local histories and poking around store fronts until the meaning becomes clear.

It's an entirely different way of looking at Los Angeles history that opens up whole new worlds.