Join us to celebrate Piecing Together Los Angeles: An Esther McCoy Reader, the first anthology of McCoy’s writing and the debut title from East of Borneo Books (available December 2011). Esther McCoy (1904–1989) was an attentive witness to the birth of mid-century design and recognized the importance of California’s distinct architectural legacy. An ingenious historian and gifted literary stylist, McCoy articulated the concepts and vibrant character of West Coast modernism. As Reyner Banham observed: “No one can write about architecture in California without acknowledging her as the mother of us all.” Writer Susan Morgan, who edited and wrote a lucid introductory essay for this anthology, will read selections that illuminate the breadth of McCoy’s work and the Southern California region that inspired it.

Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway
Santa Monica, CA 90402