San Francisco in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City by the Bay
Federal Writers Project of the Works Project Administration
Abstract
“San Francisco has no single landmark by which the world may identify it,” according to this book, originally published in 1940. This would surely come as a surprise to the millions who know and love the Golden Gate Bridge or recognize the Transamerica Building's pyramid. This invaluable Depression-era guide to San Francisco relates the city's history from the vantage point of the 1930s, describing its culture and highlighting the important tourist attractions of the time. A lively introduction revisits the city's literary heritage—from Bret Harte to Kenneth Rexroth, Jade Snow Wong, and Allen ... More
“San Francisco has no single landmark by which the world may identify it,” according to this book, originally published in 1940. This would surely come as a surprise to the millions who know and love the Golden Gate Bridge or recognize the Transamerica Building's pyramid. This invaluable Depression-era guide to San Francisco relates the city's history from the vantage point of the 1930s, describing its culture and highlighting the important tourist attractions of the time. A lively introduction revisits the city's literary heritage—from Bret Harte to Kenneth Rexroth, Jade Snow Wong, and Allen Ginsberg—as well as its most famous landmarks and historic buildings. This volume, resonant with portraits of neighborhoods and districts, allows us a unique opportunity to travel back in time and savor the City by the Bay as it used to be.
Keywords:
San Francisco,
Golden Gate Bridge,
Transamerica Building,
tourism,
Bret Harte,
Kenneth Rexroth,
Jade Snow Wong,
Allen Ginsberg,
landmarks,
historic buildings
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2011 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780520268807 |
| Published to California Scholarship Online: March 2012 |
DOI:10.1525/california/9780520268807.001.0001 |
