Illinois Books

Grandma Carol!
Your book rocked we love our copy at home!
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If you grew up in the Chicagoland area, you probably watched the Ray Rayner Show. It had cartoons and silly antics, and it had a sequence call, the Ark in the Park. After the Irish Rovers sang their Unicorn Song, Dr. Lester Fisher of the Lincoln Park Zoo would come out with an animal or two, and talk about them and their habitat. And all of us kids would agitate to go see Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, the Ark in the Park.

This wonderful book is a fascinating history of the Lincoln Park Zoo, from the park's creation to clear up a swampy old cemetery (where rains would regularly wash coffins to the surface!), through the origination of the zoo, it's changes with time, and on to the very present. Along the way, the reader is treated to many great tales of dedicated zoo personnel (including Director Marlin Perkins who became famous nationwide on Mutual of Omaha's Animal Kingdom), politicians both sympathetic and not, park visitors of all dispositions (after one elephant died, it was found to have 33 pounds of bottle caps, broken glass, rubber balls, etc. in her stomach!), and animals of equally varied dispositions.

This is a great book and a great resource for anyone familiar with the Lincoln Park Zoo. More than that, this is a great resource for anyone who wishes to know more about the development of America's zoos, and how the philosophy of zookeeping has evolved over the years. I highly recommend this book!

As a lifetime(68 yrs.)native of Chicago, I was able to relate to the entire book in all sports. Most of the book fits right in with the history of Chicago both good and bad. All Chicago historians should find this book interesting even if they are not sports enthusiasts.The chapter titles in the table of contents are a bit confusing and should have been more direct.

The Armchair Companion to Chicago Sports blends history, trivia, little known facts, and interesting quotes from the celebrities who have defined professional and amateur sports in the Windy City since the 1870s. The book is much more than a compilation of data revolving around the Bulls, White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks and Cubs. While the so-called "big four" sports are covered in assiduous detail, the Armchair Companion presents a historical survey of some of the lesser known sports, including bowling, bicycling, runner's marathons, the memorable golf tournaments, the short but unhappy history of professional soccer in Chicago, boxing, horse racing, and much more. The book was researched and written by Richard Lindberg, team historian of the Chicago White Sox and the author of eight other books dealing with aspects of Chicago history, politics and sports, and Biart Williams, his research assistant and sports historian, the fact-filled volume is a must for fans of all ages who live and die with Chicago

Book was basically in new condition and was received very soon after ordering. Book provided great info for my research.

This is a wonderful book, and the story behind it is even more wonderful. The period of time covered in this book were the glory days for the muralist movement. And huge numbers were painted in the Chicago Public Schools. Over the years, they were neglected; they were covered over; they decayed.

In 1984, Flora Doody went to Lane Tech High School to start a Resource Program for students with disabilities. She saw and loved the murals there, but knew that, with all the other problems in the school, restoration was not a priority. Ten years later, however, she began the Mural Preservation Project at the school. She knew the director of the Chicago Conservation Center and they became involved.

And then they decided to investigate early 20th century murals in other Chicago public schools. They found treasures.

A fascinating book, you will learn the history of murals, American social history, and the story of some very dedicated preservationists and educators.

This is a great book of images and poetry, ostensibly detailing the life of the midwestern farmer-- but, so much more than that, the son/father chronicle that works its way into every page. If you can read the introduction to this book without shedding a tear, please give your father a call and try to rediscover what's missing.

Volkmer has an uncanny instinct to capture more than just "the thing" (which, I think, all too oftens characterizes contemporary poetry, writers reticent to comment), but rather the psychological and emotional context for things-- not just things in time, but moments in time. And what makes this book particularly tragic is the obvious honesty that these moments cannot be, can never be, replayed.

The pictures work much the same way, but the words pull this work up from tired (but important) Time-Life photos of dust bowl hardships to the heart of soul of the relationships among man, son, machine and survival.

Bravo!

Two artists work from their hearts -- a photographer with an obvious love for the meanings and visual power of grain elevators, the other a poet whose graceful, plainspoken words brings to life the smells, the sweat, and the sentiments of the plains spirit.

Okay, that's too hokey by half, but this is a grand book. The poetry is great -- even the poet's foreword is a pleasure to read -- and the photographs show the beauty and variability, even personalities, of the tallest things on the prairies. Easily worth the price, for anyone who has a soft spot in their heart for these grand structures.

This is the second Avant Guide book that I have purchased and I plan to purchase more. In both instances I have found the content to be very useful in helping me plan and guide my visits to new cities. The choice of listings in this book is excellent, varied between well-known and not-as-well-known shops, restaurants, hotels and more. The short writeups of the neighborhoods contain all the useful bits, and the specific location information is well written and generally provides a enough insight that you come away with the impression of knowing just enough to be dangerous (or make conversation, or ask questions.) This is a good thing. The featured restaurants, stores, and hotels were all style-centric and wonderful to visit. Included are great photographs. It's hard to go wrong with this choice.

I travel a lot, for both business and pleasure. I also think that I know Chicgo very well. I, of all people, don't need a guidebook for this city. I happened to come upon Avant Guide, and I was first attracted by the graphics. This is not a 'normal' guidebook. It's very stylish. Then I was taken by the terrific recommendations of places I had never heard of. Whenever I show this book to my friends in Chicago, they want to thumb through it forever. It's hard to get it back. The book is incredibly well organized and has lots of very handy maps. I recommend this very, very highly.

Outstanding pipe reference book - plus great reading. This book finally answers many of the questions I have long had about my Falcon collection. And it gives an insider's view of pipe manufacturing back in the pipe heyday of the 50's - 70's. A GREAT addition to my pipe reference library!

I bought the book based on Bill Unger's recommendation - and Bill's word, as usual, is good as gold. I learned a lot here about Falcons specifically (their manufacture, nomenclatures, product lines, etc.) and about the pipe industry in general (difficulties in obtaining briar, etc.)- and I was very surprised to learn that both B. Barling & Sons and Kapp-Petersen made briar bowls for Falcon for a time. I found 'Back From The Ashes' not only a very interesting and well-written book on pipes...but also a wonderful tribute to an obviously great man - George L. Hunt of Diversey Machine Works of Chicago, one of those great American entrepreneurs who pulled himself up from his small-town (Southern Illinois) bootstraps to become a successful and prolific manufacturer. I enjoyed learning about the man behind the pipes - his great sense of humor and fun-loving ways - and his love of hunting and fishing, etc. I give it 5-stars and heartily suggest that all smoking pipe enthusiasts add this great book to their collections.

This book is great for those who like to go "outside the box", and get off the freeway as they head up north, to take in Michigan's unique beauty.

Beautifully illustrated with a wealth of color and black-and-white photographs, Backroads Of Michigan: Your Guide To Michigan's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures is a guide to touring the most breathtaking and scenic natural venues to be found in the Great Lake State. Backroads Of Michigan is a fairly large trade paperback, not meant to be carried in a pocket, purse or small backpack; yet its size also allows the fine detail in its illustrations to shine through, and its typeface is easy to read without a magnifying glass. The chapters are arranged by Michigan subsection, and cover everything from historical sites to river valleys to prime spots for beachcombing to state parks ideal for viewing wildflowers and much more, with maps and general directions. The text is written in a leisurely style that is as engaging to browse for pleasure as it is filled with practical information. Enthusiastically recommended for Michigan tourists and residents interested in the state's most wondrous sights, and also for armchair travelers.

Battles And Lullabies is an eclectic anthology of intuitive poetry from the children's book author Richard Michelson. Readers will be delighted by Michelson's vivid descriptions and situational indications. Where I Sat What I Ate: I sat between/Bubbeh/and Aunt Bet/I Never had a prayer//Bubbeh fingered/her forearm/the five numbers/burnt there/and//that's how I learned/to count/Aunt Bet//told lies about boys/who had loved her/when she was/a young coquette/I sat//like the silence/between train whistles/and dreamt//of the first woman/who taught me to dance/She was so beautiful/I never had a chance//Her skin was/ as smooth as/her silence/I sat//like a boy mid-bath/between curiosity and/my own nakedness/I sat//between Bubbeh/and Aunt Bet/Between spoonfuls of regret/I ate//from this you shouldn't know/and/may you never forget.

Richard Michelson is a very talented, ambitious writer who covers a range of complex topics in his poetry including the impact of the Holocaust on the second generation, the way love can mediate between cruelty and apathy, the role of memory and art. His poems about paintings delve into the artist and the pain that often motivates the act of creation. Some of his lines, such as these from "Interrogation," have the power to resonate for days: "My art is inseparable from my grief. The earth, like a davening Jew, starts to sway."

Robbie Pfeufer Kahn is definitely a clear voice in a world of constructed chaos. The book is academic and personally based, which reveals the misconceptions about reproduction as a whole. I highly recommend this book to any woman young or old to uncover the hidden meaning of birth and the strength that resides

The Language of Birth is a book of epic proportions and is sure to become the keystone of reading for anyone interested in birth. Professor Kahn has succeeded in the complex while graceful weaving of personal narrative, academic research, and poetry. Through Kahn's thorough research, she has created a platform for those with concern and interest in the fields of feminist studies/women's studies, modern obstetrics, traditional birthing practices, and parenthood to turn to. The Language of Birth must be read by academics and the lay reader alike. I give The Language of Birth five stars out of five!!!

I found this book to be an excellent read. It was very informative and provided excellent insight into the "Beatrice way". Sad story, Corporate greed destroying a model corporate citizen.

Worth its weight in gold.

This is an amazingly insightful recounting of the building of one of the finest companies in the US, and it's ultimate demise through greed. Gazel mixes depth and eaxcting factual information in a style that is incomparable. A must for any business student or historian.