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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A former Chicago cop exposes shocking truths about the abuses of power within the city's police department in this memoir of violence, drugs, and men with badges. Juarez becomes a police officer because he wants to make a difference in gang-infested neighborhoods; but, as this book reveals, he ends up a corrupt member of the most powerful gang of all--the Chicago police force. Juarez shares the horrific indiscretions he witnessed during his seven years of service, from the sexually predatory officer, X, who routinely stops beautiful women for made-up traffic offenses and flirts with domestic violence victims, to sadistic Locallo, known on the streets as Locoman, who routinely stops gang members and beats them senseless. Working as a narcotics officer, Juarez begins to join his fellow officers in crossing the line between cop and criminal, as he takes advantage of his position and also becomes a participant in a system of racial profiling legitimized by the war on drugs. Ultimately, as Juarez discusses, his conscience gets the better of him and he tries to reform, only to be brought down by his own excesses. From the perspective of an insider, he tells of widespread abuses of power, random acts of brutality, and the code of silence that keeps law enforcers untouchable.
From the summer of 1933 to the fall of 1934, more than 38 million fairgoers visited a 3-mile stretch along Lake Michigan, home to Chicago's second World's Fair. Millions more experienced the Century of Progress International Exposition through newspaper and magazine articles, newsreels, and souvenirs. Together, all marveled at the industrial, scientific, consumer, and cultural displays, many of which were housed in fifty massive and colorful exhibition halls, the largest architectural project realized in the United States during the Great Depression.
In the richly illustrated Building a Century of Progress, Lisa D. Schrenk explores the pivotal role of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair in modern American architecture. She recounts how the exposition's architectural commission promoted a broad definition of modern architecture, not relying on purely aesthetic characteristics but instead focusing on new design solutions. The fair's pavilions incorporated recently introduced building materials such as masonite and gypsum board; structural innovations (for example, the first thin-shell concrete roof and the first suspended roof structures built in the United States); and new construction processes, most notably the use of prefabrication. They also featured curiosities like the giant, constantly operating mayonnaise maker and the glass-walled House of Tomorrow, which had no operable windows. Schrenk shows how the halls' designs reflected cultural and political developments of the period, including the expanding relationships between science, industry, and government; the rise of a corporate consumer culture; and the impact of the Great Depression.
Many of the designs provoked intense responses from critics and other prominent architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Ralph Adams Cram, fueling heated debates over the appropriate direction for architecture in the United States. Demonstrating the rich diversity of progressive American building design seen at the fair, Building a Century of Progress captures a crucial moment in American modernism.
Lisa D. Schrenk is assistant professor of architecture and art history at Norwich University and former education director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation.
Winner of the 2013 Abel Wolman Award for Best New Book in Public Works History. To reverse the flow of a river wouldn't be possible today, but to Chicago near the end of the nineteenth century it became a matter of survival. In the largest municipal earth-moving project ever at that point--an engineering marvel and a monumental public works success--the flow of the Chicago River was turned away from Lake Michigan in 1900. Chicago's own shoulder-to-the-wheel determination made it work. Author Richard Lanyon is the former executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Heavily illustrated with historic photos.
This haunting dossier--anonymously assembled and found in a thrift store--gives an unprecedented and intimate lowdown on the Chicago mafia
Writer, curator, and gallerist John Corbett struck thrift gold at a going-out-of-business Chicago junk shop when he stumbled onto a browned and brittle manuscript intimately documenting the Chicago mob of the early 1930s. The tone of its typewritten and hand-annotated pages immediately grabbed him--sensationalistic and funny, they read like an embellished police blotter, naming names, listing addresses, and recounting crimes. For all of the dossier's texture and personality, however, Corbett could find no clues as to the identity of its author.
Presented here in facsimile in order to capture its distinctive materiality, Bullets for Dead Hoods: An Encyclopedia of Chicago Mobsters, c. 1933 offers a detailed rundown on the Chicago Outfit through 140 noir character sketches, which range from the infamous--Al Capone, George "Bugs" Moran, the Everleigh Sisters--to their lesser-known aiders and abettors. Whoever dared to put this testament together was clearly someone with access to information--a cop? a reporter? a bitter mafioso?--but who would've risked sharing these particulars, and why, is a mystery that will likely never be solved. What we are left with is this idiosyncratic introduction to a storied chapter in Chicago history that knits the city together in a new way. In addition to the full-color manuscript, Bullets for Dead Hoods includes related documentary material, an introduction by John Corbett, a compilation of more than 400 locations referenced in the manuscript, and a pull-out map of Chicago that pinpoints hundreds of street addresses.
From Chet the Jet to Artis Gilmore, Michael Jordan to Scottie Pippen, Bulls Legends Alphabet honors some of the most iconic players to ever hit the hardwood. Introduce your legendary little Bulls fan to these high-flying hoop heroes of the Windy City.
In this follow-up to the popular Bungalow Details: Exterior, Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen go inside the bungalow, to identify and explain the wonderful details that make a bungalow authentic, from wood floor to beamed ceiling!
Arts & Crafts homes often feature an attention to detail and design that is lacking in all but the most expensive homes built today. Yet, in the iconic home of turn-of-the-century working-class folk, these details were ubiquitous-wood detailing, built-in furniture, art glass, beamed ceilings, inlaid floors, extensive tile work, and impressive fireplaces were featured in even the most modest bungalow, just as they were in the larger architect-designed counterparts.
Powell's expertise in the era and Svendsen's captivating photography combine to focus on the important details that make these simple homes as beautiful and easy to live in now as they were at the time they were built. From plate rails to paneling, closets to colonnades, lighting to laundry chutes, and everything in between, Bungalow Details: Interior is a practical and informative resource for restoring, re-creating, or simply appreciating the period details of an Arts & Crafts-era home.
WINNER OF THE MIDLAND AUTHORS AWARD FOR HISTORY - LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE - A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - The "illuminating" (New Yorker) story of the Great Chicago Fire: a raging inferno, a harrowing fight for survival, and the struggle for the soul of a city--told with the "the clarity--and tension--of a well-wrought military narrative" (Wall Street Journal) In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the "big one"--a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. It had been bone-dry for months, and a recent string of blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department's already scant resources. Then, on October 8, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings along with insufficient preparation and a high south-westerly wind combined to set the stage for an unmitigated catastrophe. The conflagration that spread from the Learys' property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before long the floating embers had been cast to the far reaches of the city. Nothing to the northeast was safe. Families took to the streets with every possession they could carry. Powerful gusts whipped the flames into a terrifying firestorm. The Chicago River boiled. Over the next forty-eight hours, Chicago fell victim to the largest and most destructive natural disaster the United States had yet endured. The effects of the Great Fire were devastating. But they were also transforming. Out of the ashes, faster than seemed possible, rose new homes, tenements, hotels, and civic buildings, as well as a new political order. The elite seized the reconstruction to crack down on vice, control the disbursement of vast charitable funds, and rebuild the city in their image. But the city's working class recognized only a naked power grab that would challenge their traditions, hurt their chances to keep their hard-earned property, and move power out of the hands of elected officials and into private interests. As soon as the battle against the fire ended, another battle for the future of the city erupted between its entrenched business establishment and its poor and immigrant laborers and shopkeepers. An enrapturing account of the fire's inexorable march and an eye-opening look at its aftermath, The Burning of the World tells the story of one of the most infamous calamities in history and the new Chicago it precipitated--a disaster that still shapes American cities to this day.
Dedicated exclusively to the Bring-Your-Own-Bottle (BYOB)landscape in Chicagoland, this indispensable purse-sized guidebook lists nearly 300 BYOBs located in and around the city and suburbs. Featuring restaurants that not only allow but encourage customers to bring their own wine, beer, or spirits, this updated edition reflects the continued growth of the BYOB trend in Chicago, asmore people are learning to appreciate the savings and personal enjoyment of bringing their own bottles of wine, beer, or spirits to dinner. Handy indices listing restaurants by location and cuisine are coupled with insightful information on food-pairing guidelines, BYOB etiquette, and local liquor laws to help restaurant-goers create a perfect dining experience."
A purse-sized guidebook to Chicago's BYOB (Bring-Your-Oen-Bottle) restaurants. It includes BYOBs in the Chicago suburbs, restaurants with a liquor license that allow customers to BYOB for a corkage fee of $10 or less, and off-the-beaten path BYOB options such as local theaters. It reflects the growth of the BYOB trend in Chicago.
Spotlighting restaurants in Chicago that do not have liquor licenses and allow their customers to BYOB, or bring-your-own-bottle, this conveniently sized resource provides all the information needed for an enjoyable BYOB dining experience. Included in this delightful guide are 15 detailed neighborhood maps to help readers reach their destination, cross-referenced indices of BYOBs by cuisine and neighborhood, tips on BYOB etiquette, and spirit and food pairing guidelines. Intended for budget-minded diners who do not wish to pay a 300% markup on alcohol, this guide introduces establishments that not only allow but encourage their patrons to bring their own wine, beer, or spirits.
With vivid, design-centric illustrations that and short whimsical rhymes, C is for Chicago shows off the iconic people, places, food and music of Chicago. This A-Z tour of the Windy City takes readers through iconic landmarks in the Second City, including Millennium Park and "The Bean", Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain, The El, The Chicago River and Navy Pier. "C is for Chicago" also highlights the food and music that make Chicago great: Chicago Hot Dogs, Deep Dish Pizza and the Chicago Blues.
Chicago ports fans won't be disappointed either with a stop at Wrigley Field and iconic Chicago sports legends' jerseys. Can you guess them all?
This Chicago children's book is a full-size picture book with gorgeous illustrations printed on premium gloss paper. Whether on a coffee table or on the nightstand, this large-format book is sure to make any local or visitor smile.
A is for the Adler Planetarium, where we lean about the stars. B is for the Bears, the team that's in all our hearts! Take a tour of Chicago A thru Z! See all your favorite places and some familiar faces in this beautifully illustrated tour through Chicago! This book is a perfect memory to take back home from a trip to Chicago, or as a gift for anyone who loves this wonderful, Windy City, young or old.
Now you can put your own creative touch on the images of the Windy City found in the beloved alphabet book "C is for Chicago". With the same images and text found in the book, C is for Chicago: The Coloring Book features iconic places, food and music that make Chicago so special.
From the world-famous Art Institute Lions and to the Lincoln Park Zoo, C is for Chicago: The Coloring Book walks you through an A-Z tour of the Second City. Images include famous locations like the Millennium Park "Bean" and Grant Park's Buckingham fountain, as well as Deep-Dish Pizza, Chicago Hot Dogs, The El, and iconic jerseys of Chicago's greatest sports legends.
C is for Chicago: The Coloring Book makes a great gift for a visitor or a native Chicagoan.
The Calumet Region: An American Place presents a series of black and white images by an insightful observer of Northwest Indiana's industrial/residential landscape. A professional architectural photographer, established fine artist, educator, and historian, Gary Cialdella found himself drawn to the region of his youth for a photographic exploration that has lasted more than twenty years and that has resulted in hundreds of rich and complex works. Nearly one hundred of those images appear in this book, reflecting the artist's sensitive, sustained vision and the changes the region has experienced through economic shifts and the general effects of time.
Cialdella's Calumet pictures thoroughly examine this heavily industrialized area extending from south of Chicago to the northwest corner of Indiana, an area of the United States that is often overlooked but is vitally important to the country's history. Steel mills, tank farms, and refineries coexist with neighborhood houses in the artist's beautifully composed pieces, which please the eye with their full tonal range and crisp focus. Cialdella himself provides descriptions and explanations of his working methods, sources of inspiration, and life experiences to add even greater richness to his images. Essays by Gregg Hertzlieb and John Ruff reflect on Cialdella's work as a definitive photographic treatment of the region's landscape.
These images offer an unforgettable portrait of a place that impresses with its strength and that moves us with the poignancy of its struggle. Renowned photographer Larry Fink says that Cialdella "brings his soft painterly eye into the politics of a sort of morality and provokes you to think beyond the forest, through the trees, into the banal and the oblique essence of decay."
Capone is a visual retelling of the rise and eventual fall of Chicago's most notorious gangster: Alphonse "Scarface" Capone. Comprised of many previously unreleased photographs from the Chicago Tribune's vast archives, Capone reveals the Roaring Twenties and the early days of organized crime. Taken from 1926 to 1952, these photos focus on Capone and his extended network of family, friends, and enemies. All the photos -- high-quality scans of original glass-plate negatives -- are historically significant for both those interested in Capone and photography buffs in general. The first section covers Al Capone's luxurious and illicit gangster lifestyle, including vacation homes, mob funerals, and gun-toting arrests up to and including the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929. Part two documents Capone's 1931 arrest, trial, and sentencing on charges of defrauding the government. The third section introduces a mob target who evaded assassination for decades, and another who wasn't so lucky. Part four follows up with Al Capone's brother, Ralph, and the final section focuses on Capone's death.