Chicago History Caught in the Web: A Few Book Notes

Satan (impatiently) to New Comer. The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

The back-breaking, eye-straining, century long anticipated 760 page Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 is in the building!Yes, I know a November 15 release date has been publicized, but I am aware of at least one euphoric individual (non reviewer) who is weeping for joy as he gazes at the monumental tome. And, it is available for purchase on Amazon right now. So there. While you are waiting for delivery, check out The Mark Twain Project (which has a searchable copy of the book online) and the excellent site, Mark Twain Quotations, Newspaper Collections, & Related Resources

Award-winning writer, John A. Farrell's new biography of famed Chicago lawyer Clarence Darrow is available for pre-order now. (Farrell's name should be familiar; he is also the author of Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century, served as a reporter for The Boston Globe and The Denver Post, and is a contributor to the U.S. News Opinion page.) Darrow is one of those amazingly complex individuals where there is always some new facet of his personality to explore. For example, Darrow was an avid feminist and often spoke on behalf of women suffrage as early as 1890. I didn't know that. The "Admirers of Clarence Darrow" Facebook group, hosted by Farrell, is a fantastic place to learn more about the book and Darrow. You can also read an excerpt on the author's website. Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned is slated for a June, 2011 release.

I haven't been advised of a release date yet, but Oldest Chicago by David Witter does have a website! Here's the skinny:

"From Gangsters to Ghosts, to Slaughterhouses, Stables, Bars, Ball Parks, Bakeries and Bridges, the history of Chicago lives in the land of Oldest Chicago. In his new book by Lake Claremont Press, author David Witter examines nearly one-hundred of Chicago's oldest entities with first-hand interviews, photos, maps, and guides to explore other historic sites in Chicago, the Suburbs and the Exurbs. From their foundations in Chicago's early days, through events like wars, the Great Depression, and the onslaught of chain stores and internet entities, Oldest Chicago tells the story of how these unique places have survived, often handed down four as many as five generations. But Oldest Chicago is more than just a book and history is not something that exists in faded yellow photos. Oldest Chicago is a guidebook which tells you how you can eat, drink, smoke, swim, watch, listen and dance in Chicago's Oldest, letting you experience history firsthand."

Oh yes! Sing it, brother! I want to eat, drink, smoke and dance the hoochie coo with history! Just tell me when! (You'll know when I know.)

The University of Chicago Press is having a book sale and has a spiffy online catalog. Some of the books, such as Lost Chicago, The Plan of Chicago and Ben Hecht's classic A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago, are already on your book shelf. At least they had better be! Other offerings, I'm sorry to say, were new to me. Of particular interest is I've Got to Make My Livin': Black Women's Sex Work in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago by Cynthia M. Blair. I suppose I can be forgiven because it hasn't been released yet (December, 2010). For those of us interested in working women at the turn of the century, this is important. There is a lot written about their white counterparts, but the experience of black prostitutes in old Chicago hasn't had much exposure. Women who needed to work often did not have a choice because of limited more respectable options and the restrictions that the then present laws put on them. I'm anxious to read this one. Check out the catalog.

NOTE TO PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS: Please send notices and press releases of upcoming books to sharon@chicagohistoryjournal.com. I try to be everywhere, but it's hard.