Sun Seekers

Since the mid-19th century, the idea of California has lured many waves of migrants. Here, writer and editor Lyra Kilston explores a less-examined attraction: the region's promise of better health. From ailing families seeking a miracle climate cure to iconoclasts and drop-outs pursuing a remedy to societal corruption, the abundance of sunshine and untamed nature around the small but growing Los Angeles area offered them refuge and inspiration. In the wild west of medical practice, eclectic nature-cure treatments gained popularity. The source for this trend can be traced to the mountains and cold-water springs of Europe, where early sanatoriums were built to offer the natural cures of sun, air, water and diet; this sanatorium architecture was exported to the West Coast from Central Europe, and began to impact other types of building."Sun Seekers: The Cure of California" constitutes the second volume of "The Illustrated America" (following 2017's "Old Glory"), Atelier Editions's ongoing series excavating America's cultural past.
ISBN 9780997593587. Atelier Editions. pb. 192 pages. 23.5 x 17.8 cm.
reprinting