Angel City Press has done its best to focus resources and energy on creating terrific books since its inception in 1992. Our offices have always been our homes. Our human resources have always been our trusted authors, designers, editors, proofreaders, advisors, printers, sales reps, and fulfillment partners. 

Truth be told, over the past quarter-century we were a bit smug as we waved hello to the new systems, apps, and processes of others as they joined us on the virtual-business cloud we had been sitting on.

But we too were shell-shocked on Thursday, March 12—just five months ago. 

As that day wore on, we postponed the March 15 in-person launch celebration of JUDSON: Innovation in Stained Glass at the new Judson Studios facility in South Pasadena, pivoted from scheduling to comforting dozens of authors at the April 18-19 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and wondered out loud what to do with the new books in the pipeline.

We hunkered down. We adjusted schedules, finished the new books, and promoted old favorites. It’s what we do.


Check Out Our Upcoming Titles

Becoming Los Angeles: Myth, Memory, and a Sense of Place

By D.J. Waldie (available August 15)

"Waldie ... is one of the writers responsible for developing a Southern California aesthetic, in which what’s most vivid about the place is everything we might take for granted somewhere else. " – David Ulin, author, Sidewalking

"This is a writer with an ear for the strange or majestic but also the tiny detail that scolds, inspires or clarifies." – Nathan Deuel, Los Angeles Times

Becoming Los Angeles, a new collection by the author of the acclaimed memoir Holy Land, blends history, memory, and critical analysis to illuminate how Angelenos have seen themselves and their city. Waldie’s particular concern is commonplace Los Angeles, and through that sacred ordinariness Waldie experiences every season. Becoming Los Angeles draws on a decade of Waldie’s writing about the intersection of the city’s history and its aspirations. He asks, what do we talk about when we talk about Los Angeles today? Becoming Los Angeles is ultimately a book about learning to love the place where you live, with a modern-day philosopher’s take on the past and, of course, the future.

Events: 

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Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View

By Janna Ireland (available September 15)

In her book Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View, Janna Ireland explores the work and legacy of Williams through a series of intimate black-and-white photographs. Ireland gives the reader a vision of Williams that is both universal and highly personal. More than a book of architectural photographs, Regarding Paul R. Williams is the result of one artist’s encounter with another, connecting across different generations within Los Angeles. Ireland’s work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries across the country; her photographs have become part of the permanent collection of LACMA, and has been seen in Aperture, Harper’s, Art Papers, and Vice.

Events:

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Bunker Hill, Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir

By Nathan Marsak ((available September 22)

Bunker Hill is the highest point of downtown Los Angeles, both literally and figuratively. Its circle of life is a continuous saga of change, rich with captivating characters, structures, and culture. In Bunker Hill, Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir, historian Nathan Marsak tells the story of the Hill, from its inception in the mid-19th century to its present day—the center of the L.A. art scene, home to Walt Disney Concert Hall, Broad Museum, MOCA, the Music Center, and other cultural institutions. Filled with rare vintage photographs of an iconic L.A. neighborhood, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles chronicles the history of a place that has embodied the L.A. fantasy of sunny living, and been ground zero for L.A. noir.

Events:

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A Handful of Earth; A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia Butler

By Lynell George (available October 20)

Lynell George explores the world of Octavia E. Butler to find a blueprint for a creative life from the perspective of the award-winning science-fiction writer and renowned MacArthur “genius.” A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky is a collection of ideas about how a true visionary looks, listens, breathes—how to be in a writer’s world. George visits the world that shaped Octavia E. Butler and studies the specific processes Butler then used to shape herself and her thoughts—her unique process of self-making. It’s about creating a life with what there is, and it doesn’t take much—hand-me-down books, repurposed diaries, journals, stretching a small check, making time to write when others sleep—bit by bit by bit.

Events:


Celebrate Libraries With Us

Stephen Gee introduced Angel City Press to the LA’s most prolific architect via Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles.Then in Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture he and photographer Arnold Schwartzman show us how Angelenos created, neglected, and finally saved a civic treasure. And in Los Angeles City Hall: An American Icon he celebrates a building, a city, and its spirit. He speaks as well as he writes; please take advantage:

  • On Saturday, August 15; 2–3pm — Santa Monica Reads Special Event: The Architecture of Los Angeles Central Library with Margaret Bach, Kenneth Breisch, and Stephen Gee // Join the Santa Monica Public Library for a discussion and visual presentation on the architectural history of the Los Angeles Central Library. Learn about the unique history of the building and the role the 1986 fire played in its redesign. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudOutpj0iGdNptECKDTh-KFdQsy6LxJYO  or tinyurl.com/ya93wcn7


And Look Where ACP Books Were Featured:

JUDSON: Innovation in Stained Glass

  • “While the book is a veritable review of how political and social events shape design, what resonates is Judson’s take on why stained glass—a dated, traditional, and somewhat rigid aesthetic—is having both a comeback and a reinvention.” —Architectural Digest

Clubhouse Turn: The Twilight of Hollywood Park

  • “Their stories intertwine with Asselin’s photography to present a multi-faceted story of Hollywood Park that includes the perspectives of both those who relied on it for employment and those who frequented it purely for enjoyment.”—LA Magazine
  • “Clubhouse Turn is a thorough and thoughtful new book from Angel City Press.”—LA Weekly

Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films

  • “Published by Los Angeles’ spirited Angel City Press is Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films, written by director Arthur Dong. As good as its title, the book covers everything from 1917’s “The War of the Tongs” to 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” includes numerous interviews and a dazzling collection of images ... and ephemera of all sorts.” —Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
  • “Hollywood Chinese takes an honest and intimate look at the Chinese influence in Hollywood.” Selected as one of “Books to Read on World AIDS Day” —The Advocate
  • “A stunning coffee table book that includes interviews with directors Wayne Wang and Ang Lee and actors Nancy Kwan and James Shigeta … Dong has assembled a fascinating collection of anecdotes and images in Hollywood Chinese, a book that could fill a gap in a serious film buff’s library.”—The Gay and Lesbian Review

[13-Aug-2020]