Los Angeles and the Automobile

"Well written, extremely well documented, and enjoyable to read. . . . Scott Bottles presents a compelling argument against the belief that the automobile was imposed on the residents of Los Angeles. Futhermore, he does an excellent job of demonstrating the human dynamics accompanying technological change."—Lynn Lonnquist, International Social Science Review

"The book provides a very good history of the Los Angeles experience. Urban sociologists, among others, will find it an important addition to their shelf on urban social change."—James R. Hudson, Contemporary Sociology

"Bottles skillfully interweaves twentieth-century urban trends as they applied to Los Angeles with the politics involved in public transportation policy and the control of motor vehicle traffic. . . . [He] is to be congratulated on a fine study of a much misunderstood and misrepresented situation."—John B. Rae, Pacific Historical Review

"[A] stimulating case study for those concerned with understanding the automobile metropolis at its early formative stages. The author successfully relates developments in Los Angeles to developments elsewhere in the United States, giving his arguments the potential of universal application."—John A. Jakle, Growth and Change