The Alternate World of 1959

An Illustrated History of Los Angeles in the Jetpack Age

Description | ISBN: 9781969944352

The Alternate World of 1959 is an illustrated alternate history that reimagines Los Angeles at the dawn of the Jetpack Age, where personal flight has become a practical part of everyday life.

Through richly illustrated scenes, advertisements, technical details, and personal stories, the book explores how jetpacks reshape commuting, shopping, work, emergency services, entertainment, recreation, and daily life across the city.

Designed as a hardcover edition (8.25 × 11", 88 pages), it offers an immersive journey through a familiar 1959 Los Angeles transformed by one extraordinary idea: what if ordinary people could fly?

Includes

88 pages of full-color illustrated alternate history

  • A reimagined 1959 Los Angeles where personal jetpacks have become part of everyday life

  • Explores commuting, shopping, work, emergency services, nightlife, recreation, and youth culture

  • Everyday characters and personal stories reveal how ordinary people adapt to personal flight

  • Period-inspired advertisements, technical cutaways, safety materials, and product designs expand the world

  • Richly illustrated scenes blend recognizable Los Angeles locations with speculative technology

  • A playful exploration of retro-futurism, mid-century optimism, and the practical consequences of a world where people can fly


Image Gallery

Browse selected pages from the book’s illustrated interiors.


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