by Charles Phoenix

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE '50s: SUN, FUN AND FANTASY—a treasury of retro car culture, space-age style, suburbia, Hollywood, mountain, desert and seaside resorts, and America's favorite amusement parks. In the 1950s, Southern California was the place to be. The mood was up, prosperity ruled, and the standard of living was high. It was the land of plenty for a new generation of movers and shakers who reinvented the way America would live. 

Filled with colorful memorabilia, never-before-published vintage photos, and carefully researched historical text, this coffee table book covers the phenomenon of the space-age promised land—L.A. and beyond—and the society that created a cultural explosion. See and read about how Southern Californians lived, where they worked, how they played and the way they got around. In these pages readers will cruise in hot rods to the drive-in theater, learn how McDonald's inspired a fast-food revolution, and see the suburban spread of stylish tract homes, supermarkets, coffee shops, bowling alleys and shopping centers. Anyone who loves pop culture will relish every color-filled page of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE '50s.

Charles Phoenix grew up in Ontario in a '50s ranch home during the '60s and '70s, and went on countless family outings to the beach, desert, mountains, shopping centers and amusement parks. It stuck, as you can see in this book.