Santa Monica Pier now stands as the last remnant of the bay's once many pleasure piers. For over 100 years it has captured the imagination of its many visitors. This collection of vintage images, artwork, history and treasured lore offers readers the opportunity to travel through time.

From the early days of the 20th century, when lifeguard legend Cap Watkins rode a horse to make ocean rescues, to present-day crew members who are aided by Baywatch rescue boats, the history of the Santa Monica Lifeguards is one of the most colorful in ocean lifesaving. Under these guards careful gaze, Pres. John F. Kennedy swam along the Santa Monica shoreline, Charlie Chaplin collected seashells, and surfing icons Duke Khanamoku and Miki Dora took to the waves. From historic legends to millions of yearly beachgoers, Santa Monicas lifeguards have provided decades of ocean-lifesaving services. Their work has helped to make Santa Monica Beach the world-renowned destination it is today.

Historic SM book

Swim out into the Pacific and look back to the shore. To the couple kissing in the hot afternoon, and the young girl rollerskating along the front, and the family setting up camp on the soft, warm sand. To the blues and yellows and pinks of fierce, determined revelry. Santa Monica, where the wooden pier juts out into the Pacific Ocean, marks the end of Route 66. The great American journey west culminates here, and it is on this short stretch of coast that Sarah Lee began shooting her photographic series in 2015. In West of West Sarah Lee and Laura Barton explore the idea of the West in shaping American identity, with its idealism and notions of the frontier, and what the American West means in an age of political turbulence, when the East is the rising global force and the frontier is shifting once more.

Welcome to the Parker Palm Springs, where you’ll experience a delightful time away, filled with everything you’d expect from a sunny, California vacation. There’s tennis courts and a lemonade stand, a gorgeous pool, and a lawn for croquet. But, the other guests and staff are more than a little unexpected . . . From the New York Times bestselling photographer of Beaches, Gray Malin, comes Be Our Guest!, Malin’s first children’s picture book, compiled from his acclaimed series of photographs Gray Malin at the Parker Palm Springs. If Eloise had lived in an animal-only hotel, it would have had the style and whimsy of the Parker. Just reading Be Our Guest! will whisk children away on a temporary holiday, which is nothing less than extraordinary.