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Did you know Chicago is home to absolute scads of wonderful authors? We here at The Book Cellar love supporting local, and here you can find books written by your fellow Chicagoans in addition to titles that'll teach you The Windy City has a richer history than you'd even guess!

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Chicago Books!

Rule 53: Capturing Hippies, Spies, Politicians, & Murderers in an American Court

Rule 53: Capturing Hippies, Spies, Politicians, & Murderers in an American Court

$19.95
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In 1969 artist Andy Austin pitched herself as a substitute for an ABC TV courtroom sketch artist who didn't show up to cover the Chicago 7 trial, thus beginning her career of more than 40 years of covering some of the city's and the nation's most notorious trials--all documented in this compilation. Rule 53 dictates no cameras allowed in the courtroom, so mobsters, politicians, spies, terrorists, gang members, and serial killers on trial leave their mark on history through the artist's renderings. This engaging memoir and firsthand account of how the drama of the courtroom stage really unfolds will delight history and true crime buffs, court watchers, and anyone fascinated by the nuances of character only an artist can capture.

No Cameras Allowed

In the late 1960s, new to Chicago and bored with the still life subjects she painted in her home studio, artist Andy Austin began wandering the city in search of surprises from life as it is really lived. Chicago delivered--with the color and drama of volatile times and larger-than-life subjects. The streets were alive with noisy demonstrations, against the war in Vietnam, and in support of issues ranging from civil rights to raises for schoolteachers. Austin sketched picket lines and protests and sometimes joined them, soaking up every detail with crystalline clarity. When she turned her skills to court drawing, her stunning ability to capture pivotal moments and revealing human interactions gave Chicagoans an unparalleled you-are-there view of trials and personalities that made headlines.

"Rule 53: Capturing Hippies, Spies, Politicians, and Murderers in an American Courtroom" is a vivid memoir by one of the country's best visual chroniclers of courtroom proceedings. Austin's gift for seeing essential details offers intimate glimpses of defendants like the Chicago 7 radicals, the Black Panthers and the El Rukns, serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and a parade of mobsters. In prose as deft and insightful as her sketches, she shares her portraits of the lawyers, judges, politicians, and others involved in cases she observed, salutes friends and colleagues, and shares personal experiences that influenced her unique perspective on local history in the making.

Run Don't Count consignment book

$19.00
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Running Dark

Running Dark

$7.99
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International intrigue and adventure combine in Running Dark, by Jamie Freveletti, the pulse-pounding sequel to Running from the Devil. Bestselling author Lee Child hailed Freveletti's debut novel as, "Just terrific--full of thrills and tradecraft, pace and peril." Now she brings back marathon runner and scientist Emma Caldwell in a gripping tale that combines terrorism, Somali pirates, and a possible chemical catastrophe as it races at breakneck speed into the most dangerous places in the world.
Running From The Devil

Running From The Devil

$7.99
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"A breathless, hair-raising read, one of the most gripping thrillers I've read in a long, long time."
--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Keepsake A high-octane debut thriller in the tradition of James Rollins, Lee Child, and Daniel Silva, Running From the Devil by Jaime Freveletti starts racing on page one and never slows down for a minute until it crosses the finish line. Lee Child calls it, "Just terrific--full of thrills and tradecraft, pace and peril," and anyone who craves the adrenaline rush of smart, exceptional thriller fiction will love Running From the Devil and its strong, compelling heroine Emma Caldwell.
Safe Place for Dying

Safe Place for Dying

$24.95
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An extortion letter arrives at Crystal Waters, one of Chicago's wealthiest gated communities. Shortly thereafter, a mansion blows up. The residents want answers fast before another zillion dollar residence turns to rubble.

Saints in the Land Of Lincoln

$14.99
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Salt Creek Anthology

$14.99
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Sam Giancana : The Rise and Fall of a Chicago Mobster

Sam Giancana : The Rise and Fall of a Chicago Mobster

$9.95
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Sent to the reformatory at the age of 10, Sicilian-American Sam Giancana lived a gilded life as mobster and mob boss at a pivotal point in history when the mafia decided who ruled America, who lived, and who died. Born in 1908, in The Patch, Chicago, Giancana joined the Forty-Two gang of lawless juvenile punks in 1921 and quickly proved himself as a skilled 'wheel man' (or getaway driver), extortionist, and vicious killer. Called up to the ranks of the Outfit, he reputedly held talks with the CIA about assassinating Fidel Castro, shared a girlfriend with John F. Kennedy, and had friends in high places, including Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Marilyn Monroe and, some say, the Kennedys, although he fell out with them. The story of Sam Giancana will overturn many of your beliefs about America during the Kennedy era. If you want to know Giancana's role in the brother's deaths, and more of the intrigue surrounding that of Marilyn Monroe, this book will fill you in on the murky lives of many shady characters who really ruled the day, both in Chicago and elsewhere.
Score of a Lifetime

Score of a Lifetime

$19.95
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For 25 years, Chicago sports fans invited Terry Boers into their homes, cars, and offices as one of the premier voices of WSCR radio. Covering the latest championships and trades, Boers was a Windy City constant until his retirement in 2017. In his highly-anticipated memoir, Boers delivers a trove of lively anecdotes and personal reflections from journey through sports media--from raucous banter with Mike Ditka during The Score's early days to the Cubs' World Series celebration in 2016. A must-read for any of the thousands who made Boers part of their daily routine, The Score of a Lifetime is a freewheeling, frank portrait of a man, a career, a station no one thought would survive, and a city that loves its sports.
Sears Tower

Sears Tower

$12.95
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The Nation's Largest Retailer wanted the largest headquarters in the nation, and they got it -- in spades. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the 110-story, anodized aluminum-clad Sears Tower occupies three acres in the West Loop. The bundled-tube construction allowed for more windows and more corner offices per square foot. The total area within the Tower is 4.4 million square feet; the Sky Deck on the 103rd floor offers tremendous views and welcomes more than 1 million visitors yearly.

When SOM realized that their design was only ten stories short of what was supposed to be the record-breaking height of the World Trade Center then under construction (1,368 feet), they broke the record, coming in at 1,454 feet. The move of Sears and Roebuck employees into the Tower was the biggest corporate move in American history. In the late 1980s Sears and Roebuck left the building, but it continues to thrive, a timeless monument to American ingenuity.

Second City Sinners

Second City Sinners

$24.95
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Countless criminals have made their mark on Chicago and the surrounding communities. Chicago Sun-Times journalist Jon Seidel takes readers back in time to the days when H. H. Holmes lurked in his Murder Castle and guys named Al Capone and John Dillinger ruled the underworld. Drawing upon years of reporting, and with special access to the Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun-Times archives, Jon Seidel explains how men like Nathan Leopold, Richard Loeb, and Richard Speck tried to get away with history's most disturbing crimes. . .

Secret Chicago, 2nd Ed.

$14.95
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Secret Chicago: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret Chicago: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

$20.95
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Embark on a scavenger hunt to the unknown and unusual corners of Chicago. This endlessly interesting city is home to tales as tall as our skyscrapers and secrets as deep as our pizzas. Explore a side of Chicago you've never seen, from a grave in a junkyard to a pool under the Loop. Discover where you can picnic on a nuclear pylon or snorkel a Lake Michigan shipwreck. Visit the site of the Western Hemisphere's largest mass grave or run away to the circus in a church. Do you know where to find the birthplace of gospel music and a final resting place for Cubs fans? Surprises are hiding everywhere in Chicago, from a chapel atop a Loop skyscraper to an art gallery in a Beverly fieldhouse. From an energy vortex in Fulton Market to a salt cave in Portage Park, follow Secret Chicago across the city's neighborhoods and into its little-known history. Find oddities and inspiration in Chicago's uncommon sites, including hidden attractions, haunted locales, and unique landmarks. This guide delivers answers to questions around town that you didn't even know you had and proves that when it comes to secrets, Chicago is second to none.
Secret Chicago: Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sights, Sounds, and Tastes

Secret Chicago: Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sights, Sounds, and Tastes

$14.95
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Ah, the thrill of discovery. It's exhilarating to unearth new favorite haunts. But how do you discover them if you never stray from the pack? There are thousands of tourist guides but it's no secret that they'll steer you towards safe, predictable, well-trodden places. Secret(TM) Chicago is all about leaving the herd behind and making the Windy City your own. It's a treasure map to the arcane, the cool, and the hushhush hot spots that the locals love. Beautifully illustrated with original photos, Secret(TM) Chicago celebrates Chicago's diverse ethnic population. Sam Weller will take you to a rowdy beer garden, a Persian bakery, and a Vietnamese grocery. And he'll be your guide to the city's many traditions and quirky oddities. Go to downtown blues and comedy clubs, participate in Chicago's annual "smelt season," and visit the country's only holograph museum. It's all here, written by a no-nonsense local from the city renowned for telling it like it is. Ditch the crowds and discover your Secret(TM) Chicago -- completely revised and updated for 2002.
Seeking Chicago

Seeking Chicago

$19.95
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Richly detailed and full of engaging stories, this charming guide traces the history of Chicago's unparalleled architecture.

Meticulously researched, engagingly presented, and richly detailed, Seeking Chicago is truly a must-read for anyone interested in the story of the Windy City and how it got that way. Unlike other books about local history, here Tom Miller reveals the stories of many smaller, more modest buildings that are off the beaten track - the very structures that most guide books overlook - along with the iconic landmarks.

Chicago is possibly the most important American city for experiencing important architectural masterpieces. There are numerous ways to learn about its architectural heritage, from museums to curated walking and driving tours and even a boat tour. While the basic factual histories of Chicago's landmarks are fairly well known, there are additional layers of history - often with dramatic human interest angles - that don't always get included in the official tours. Tom Miller tells the story of Chicago's rich architectural and social history building by building. The stories behind the city's buildings is an impressive architectural history reading and a dramatic sampling of American social history--family feuds, scandals, and mob hits. He excels at uncovering the dramas that have unfolded within the architecture and detailing them to tell an engaging and largely unknown side of Chicago's history.

Seeking Truth While Sifting Through A Global Perspective

$7.95
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Select Chicago

Select Chicago

$15.00
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This is an inspirational guide to the vibrant city of Chicago, offering authentic experiences, fresh discoveries, and a good dose of local culture. It offers 100 ideas for a memorable stay in Chicago, organised by neighbourhood, with plenty of secret gems in the mix.

Self-Titled Debut

$12.00
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Fiction. SELF-TITLED DEBUT is a mess o' finely machined machine-like fictions. There is a sublime relentlessness in the generative power of the permutations at all levels from word to sentence to paragraph to page. He exhausts exhaustion effortlessly. These inventive hypoxic hieroglyphs gin-up ingeniously a whole new notion of genus: story and the species: short. Some debut indeed--Michael Martone.