Illinois Books

This book is worthwhile for much more valuable information than its title may suggest. It's an excellent survey of the second American etching revival, which took place in printmaking during the early Twentieth Century. Well documented, easy to read, and chock full of fascinating information about the remarkable etching advocate Jaques, it also tells a great deal about the activities of a host of other printmakers. The volume's four appendices, copious notes, extensive bibliography, and index make this book a reference well worth the price to scholars of American printmaking history.

This is the first full-length study, and likely to remain the definitive one, of the Chicago Society of Etchers, incorporated in l9l0 under its chief architect, Bertha E. Jaques (l863-l94l). Together they played a profound role in developing popular American artistic taste in the first half of the 20th century, both by inspiring other societies and by making the best prints available to a broad and receptive public. In its 47-year life the CSE would exhibit at least 40,000 prints across America, whose impact has been unevaluated and uninvestigated until Patterson's study.

Most interesting and admirable is the analysis of the CSE's unwavering resistance to modernism, despite expectable criticism and the formation of a rival, alternative group, the Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists. Supporters of the CSE could always rely on the Society to produce traditional, academic, and representational works--would that more artistic groups were unwilling to cave in to the ephemeral, the anarchic, and the chaotic in all areas of American life. This stance produced friction with the Chicago Art Institute, and its break with that facility in the early '30's was a serious setback, although the CSE continued to function as late as l956.

Two striking features of this work are the ninety-two black and white and eight color illustrations of beautifully reproduced etchings and prints, and the straightforward, expository prose of the text which integrates the history of the Society in the social and economic settings of the World War, the Twenties, and the Depression Era. The final chapter is devoted specifically to Bertha Evelyn Jaques, a talented artist in her own right, who was an inspiration to thousands.

The Appendices are invaluable, with complete lists of Presentation Prints of the CSE, Exhibiting Members, and the Years and Cities where their work appeared. The notes and bibliography will be the starting point for any researcher or devotee of the subject, reflecting the wide-ranging and exhaustive work which went into compiling this remarkable volume. A more complete review may be found in Bibliophilos, VIII, No. 2 (Summer 2003), l24-l26.

This book is a great rea for anyone who is interested in Chicago life in the 1920's. I thought that this book would be boring, but actually it is very interesting, especially the Genealogy section on Jacobs descendants.

A great history of a Chicago family from 1869 through 1963. The book tells how the Jacob Best family helped to shape the industrial growth of the "Miracle City."

I have read just about every piece on this subject. This bookis definitely the best researched piece to date. It refers to peopleplaces and things that I am quite familiar with. I am Third GenerationCape Verdean living here in the U.S. I have traveled to the Cape Verde Islands and I speak the language fluently. Ms. Halter... captured the very essence of this culture by detailing specific facts such as: differences in Island to Island,language accents, living conditions,resources,cultural celebrations,etc. I am quite familiar with many of the characters in her book and her research references. She speaks of the history and culture just as I have heard about it from my grandmother and grandfather. I have read other writings that I feel do not compare, simply because they are not as clear and complete as Ms. Halter's book. Her book covers the many facets of this very complex nationality in a way that is more simple to understand than any other book on this subject that I have read. This is highly important to someone who not in the least educated in this culture. I have shared my knowledge of this subject to hundreds of people along my path... END

I think this book is definetly a good research piece. I am the 2nd generation of Cape Verdeans living here in the U.S. Unfortunetly my parents did not speak the language to us. The author made herself very knowledgable regarding our culture, struggles and thoughts through generations. My father told us how my grandfather worked on a whaling ship going back and forth from Cape Verde to the U.S. til he bought property on Cape Cod, which I continue to tell my children and nieces and nephews and they are also proud of that. The author mentions interviewing some Cape Verdeans on the Cape where some of them have last names of relatives of mine....what great lengths this author has gone with this research to get accurate data, I am very impressed. I now say I am African-American rather than the black Portuguese which I was taught from my Grandmother, however since I am fair complexed I do tell people that I am Cape Verdean American when asked what am I...complextion was another issue brought up in this book which we are very familiar with. GREAT JOB!!! I was very please to read about my culture...One day I hope I do get to visit the Cape Verde Islands.

I am the daughter of one of the book's character's (Rafael "Sancho" Sanchez). It was so interesting to read about not only my father's exploits, but the others in the company as well. It brought back many memories of the many stories my father use to tell me about his war experiences. It also brought a real perspective of the trials of war to someone who was born eleven years after it ended. Thank you Sy for bringing me and my family a part of my father we never would have known if you had not told your story.

I was also 18 years old when I was sent to the Pacific and found everything that Sy Kahn wrote. Now at 71 years old I never thougth I was to find so realistic book and brought back so painful and glorius memories. This is my first war book I read and I do not regreted. I did realy enjoy it.

This book shares the fascinating story behind the more than $100 million bequest to Poetry magazine by amateur poet and pharmaceutical heiress, Ruth Lilly. Included are numerous illustrations--author photographs, drawings, and newspaper clippings to enliven this amazing story. Nearly five hundred letters from poets are featured in the book--a "who's who" from T.S. Eliot, Erica Jong, and Rita Dove to Billy Collins, Robert Pinsky, and Mary Oliver. This story makes for compelling reading as well as provides business lessons for how to treat people with kindness and compassion.

In 2002 The Chicago Tribune broke the news that Poetry Magazine had received more than a mullion from an amateur poet and heiress: the story of this gift and its impact is detailed in BETWEEN THE LINES: A HISTORY OF POETRY IN LETTERS, 1962-2002. This follows the editors' prior DEAD EDITOR in 2002, which detailed Poetry's first fifty years through its correspondence with its poets: BETWEEN THE LINES continues the story through one of the biggest impacts in the genre's history, and makes for fascinating reading.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This a book for all you biker lovers out there! The maps/trails are very detailed and to the point. Also, it shows Dave Johnsen has put plenty of research in this book because he tells us what places you will find on each trail. I highly recommend this book if you love to bike and/or want to navigate Illinois!!!!

Biking Illinois: 60 Great Road Trips And Trail Rides by biking enthusiast David Johnsen is an outstanding collection of "bicycle friendly" statewide biking trails accompanied with maps and photography for a greater understanding of Illinois' road trips and trail rides. Providing readers with a detailed description of each of the featured sixty bike trail, Biking Illinois features trails following the path of Louis and Clark, as well as the Garden of the Gods, and the Shawnee National Forest, and the Great Western Prairie Triangle. Biking Illinois is very highly recommended to all cyclists searching for a an instructive reference for planning their next big biking expedition -- particularly those who live near or in Illinois variable terrain.

My only complaint about this book was that it was too short.

I waited too long. Brashler's book sent me back in time to the 1930s and let me enter the world of Negro League baseball, and the atmospheric writing transported me there thoroughly. I'm now going to rent the DVD, and hope it's half as good as the book.

I recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of baseball history.

there was never a dull moment reading this. inspired by countless tape recordings brashler made with cool papa bell and satchel paige, this books puts you into the lives of back baseball players in the 1930's as they travel through the midwest, often encountering prejudice, con-men, loneliness and self-doubt but sticking to their guns and rising about the drama. the language brashler uses to tell the tale makes it authentic and warm. a perfect companion to the movie...

Toyota's recently-aired television spot featuring two male middle-schoolers and an adult technician at a crash-test facility strikes my limit when it comes to horror: i.e., mere children bullying an adult. The follow-up was even more outrageous. Thus, though not a fan exactly of gothic literature and film, but one who's aware of its pervasive (and persuasive) influence on popular culture, I keep an eye peeled. That's how I come to Jack Morgan's gem of a study. His insights into the nature of gothic make a difference, make one take it more seriously. Moreover, the actual biology is substantial and, finally, Morgan's sound scholarship and lucid prose (no slack anywhere) recommend it highly. Lucid prose.

Morgan provides persuasive readings of a number of classic and lesser-known books and films. While the book is theoretically informed, a non-specialist audience as well will find it a pleasure to read. Any fan of horror or the gothic ought to read this book.

I bought this book not so much because I want to go birding, but because it lists over 110 bird refuges, conservation areas, creeks, forest preserves and tall grass praries, many of which I know I have driven by on the highway without realizing that just down a state or county road is natural habitat full of wildlife. Some of the areas covered will be familiar to anyone who has lived in Illinois (Morton Arboretum, Fermi Lab, Jackson Park, Montrose Harbor, Chicago Botanic Garden, Starved Rock State Park) but the others are probably new to most people -- Meredosia Wildlife Refuge, Midewin Tallgrass Prarie, Pecatonica River Forest Preserve, Kickapoo State Park, Mermet Lake, etc.

The entries are divided into regions (northeast, northwest, west-central and southern) with each featuring a map of the area with directions, and a list and description of the birds that live or migrate through there. There are also black & white photographs and beautifully-detailed sketches of birds scattered throughout the text. The entries include walking or driving tours and information about the best time of the year to visit the site as well as general information on the conditions of the area (with instructions on when you need to bring your own water, insect repellant and food), what times of the year it may be closed and whether there are picnic/camping areas. In some cases the history of the area is given (for example, the fact that Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area and Forest Preserve is named after a Native American chief who lived there with his tribe in the 1830s). Each entry also includes the name of the park district that supervises the area and the nearest town.

The book ends with a checklist of birds so you can keep track of the ones you have seen, a list of extinct and endangered birds, the official form for reporting a rare bird, a bibliograpy and a list of federal, state and county contacts with phone numbers and addresses. This is a terrific reference book as well as guidebook. I'm grabbing my binoculars, a picnic lunch, this book and heading out to explore the rest of Illinois!

Every state should have a bird-finding guide this good! The author has done a superb job in presenting not only some of the more well-known Illinois birding locations, but also provides many areas that even most of Illinois' more experienced birdwatchers will find new and well worth exploring. Birders from outside of Illinois will probably be very surprised to learn of the variety of habitats and birds that this state has to offer once one leaves the seemingly birdless "corn and soybean desert" that many see from the interstates that crisscross the state. For instance,the chances of seeing a Mississippi Kite in southern Illinois are "good", as are such diverse species as Snowy Owl, Ross's Goose, and Connecticut Warbler! Illinois may be one of the best locations to see the elusive Smith's Longspur in the lower 48 states, and this guide will tell you when, where and how to see one! This long overdue site finding guide to Illinois' best birding locations is the first to cover the entire state in 25 years! And it is much more than a site guide! Only somewhat larger than many field guides, it is none-the-less easily manageable in the field (or in your car), and one should not be without this book while birding the states highways and byways. The author provides maps as well as written descriptions on how to bird the areas, but one of the best features of this book is the list of "key birds" to be found at each location at the beginning of each site account. In addition, the "Seasonal Distribution Charts" at the back of the book are the first of their kind for books on Illinois' birds, which attempt to cover the whole state, and make this an invaluable addition to this admirable reference work! The contributions from many of the state's most experienced birdwatchers and ornithologists from all corners of the state, guarantees the accuracy and thoroughness of the areas covered. Birders will find the sections on "Authors Favorite Sites", "Illinois' Specialty Birds", and the "Birding Calender" particularly helpful additions compared to the more normal bird-finding guides, and should make it a much more easy task in planning their birding trip, including exactly where and when to go to add that particular bird species that is still missing from their list! The well chosen photographs and exemplary line drawings not only make an aesthetically nice addition to the book, but give examples not only of some of the more typical birds to be found in Illinois but also show the diversity of avian life to be seen throughout the state. Not only is this book factually correct, but the well-written prose of this obviously talented journalist is very descriptive of the birds and birding destinations, and almost transports one to each birding hotspot. Aside from the usual typos and a few small errors in a few of the maps, this book is an excellent "read", and a MUST for EVERY birdwatcher traveling to or residing in the state of Illinois!

Great book. Includes full color art with a nice synopsis for each bird as well as an illustration for its habitat. I've been able to identify many birds with it. Highly recomended!

If you want to identify birds in your Illinois backyard, or when you're hiking in the woods, on a picnic at the zoo, enjoying the flowers at the Botanic Gardens, or basking in the shade of a tree at an Arboretum, then this is the book for you. It won't confuse you with birds that don't belong in Illinois. This is THE field guide for Illinois bird watcher, no matter what the expertise. This guide is arranged by habitat and color coded for quick identification. Each bird has a full color beautiful drawing, interesting facts about the bird, including how to identify it in the field, as well as when during the year you're likely to see it.
Sheryl DeVore, an award-winning environmental journalist and editor, writes with technical and poetic ease. Steve Bailey, an ornithologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey is one of the top experts on Illinois breeding birds; his maps make it easy to identify each bird as breeder, summer visitor, year-round resident, or migrator.

Get this book if you live in Illinois and love to watch birds!