About the Author

James Harris is the Pier Historian for the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation. He has been more or less a fixture on the Pier since 1989, when he took a job tending bar at the Boathouse restaurant. His writing credits include the stage plays An Illegal Start and That Little Ding; a weekly online newsletter for the Web site Venicebeach.com; and the Pier's biweekly newsletter Beyond the Pier Sign.