Rare (unrecorded) 1913 edition of Baist's Atlas of the City of Los Angeles, first published in 1905.
Baist's atlases were competitors to the Sanborn Atlases but capture the cities in which they were published in larger sections, making the atlas significantly less wieldy than the massive multi-volume Sanborn tomes.
The present one volume atlas of Los Angeles includes 40 (of 42) tract maps comprising the entire city of Los Angeles as it existed in 1913. The Baist Survey shows all development in the city on a block-by-block basis and includes the owners of large parcels of undeveloped land. The atlas evolved from 26 maps to 49 maps between 1905 and 1921.
The map sheets include a color-coded legend. The symbols relate to different aspects of buildings and infrastructure:
- Building Materials: Colors indicate if a building is made of brick, stone, or frame, which affects its fire resistance.
- Types of Buildings: Symbols show specific types of structures such as greenhouses, stables, and garages.
- Utilities: Icons indicate the presence of sewers, water mains, and fire hydrants.
- Transportation: Symbols highlight electric railways and steam railroads.
This 1913 edition seems to be unrecorded and seems to be an expansion of the 1910 edition, with 8 new maps.
We note the following recorded editions in OCLC:
- 1905 ed--26 maps + index
- 1910 ed--34 maps + index
- 1912 ed--42 maps + index
- 1914 ed--44 maps + index
- 1921 ed--49 maps + index
- 1923 ed--same
And Margaret Miller Rocq noted only the editions of 1921 and 1923.
Rarity
Baist's Los Angeles Atlas is rare. The present 1913 example is previously unrecorded.