BOOK
THE CHICAGO MARITIME SOCIETY
From Lumber Hookers to the Hooligan Fleet: A Treasury of Chicago Maritime History
(Lake Claremont Press)
Today, Chicago’s waters are predominantly used for swimming and sailing, but the Chicago River and Lake Michigan playgrounds were once ruled by steamers and other commercial ships that contributed to the city’s growth. Chicago’s maritime past is detailed extensively in this treasury compiled by the Chicago Maritime Society. From the Native American tribes that first canoed the marshy waters with French-Canadian voyageurs, to the WWII-era Great Lakes pleasure yachts commissioned by the U.S. Navy to hunt for German U-Boats in the Atlantic, Chicago Maritime History provides a detailed account of maritime life from the city’s infancy up through the better half of the 20th century. While only the most dedicated of Great Lakes enthusiasts will make it through the entire book, those with the slightest curiosity of Chicago’s water-logged past will find their niche. Stories are separated into sections like “Early Times,” “The Golden Age of Sail” and “The Lakes at War,” allowing readers to navigate the book by historical era or type of ship. Firsthand accounts from relevant articles also make each chapter a fun and easy read.
Bottom line:
A captivating, thorough account for Chicago historians and maritime newbies alike.
–Lea Wilcox
BOOK
JOHN KNOTT, EDITOR
Michigan: Our Land, Our Water, Our Heritage
(The Nature Conservancy)
Michigan’s landscapes serve as a captivating muse for this collection of stories and snapshots. The book is separated into three sections: Land, Water and Shoreline. For this glorious tribute to Michigan’s most beautiful asset, The Nature Conservancy rightfully left the descriptions to the pens of local writers and lenses of local photographers. Each offers his or her own memories of the area, with quotes from state officials reminiscing about Michigan’s most beautiful asset peppered in between. As Sen. Carl Levin reminds, “(The shoreline) is overwhelming in its beauty and power, yet restful.” The composition tastefully reminds the reader of the juxtaposition of nature with growing development, and the conservancy’s efforts to preserve it – after all, proceeds from the book go toward conservation in Michigan and the Great Lakes. As Alison Swan writes about the Paw Paw River in southwest Michigan: “After the train has roared past, insect song lies heavy in our ears again: cicadas, crickets, and other clicks and buzzes I can’t identify.” If you close your eyes, you can almost hear them.
Bottom line: An amazing tribute to the preservation of Michigan’s landscapes, from content to cause. –Megan Waitkoff
BOOK
STEVE JOHNSON
Chicago Cubs: Yesterday & Today
(Voyageur Press)
As if Chicago Cubs fans need another excuse to idolize their favorite team! While this coffee-table book doesn’t cover the team’s history in great depth, it does offer a broad background for fair-weather fans and fanatics alike. Rather than organizing the book chronologically, Johnson groups the stories by subjects like positions, uniforms, ballparks and fans, and then dives through the history of each. He includes some details like the Curse of the Billy Goat that are common knowledge to anyone who calls themselves a Cubbies fan, but tosses in some details like player salaries (Ross Barnes of the original White Stockings got $1,500 for the 1877 season) and team names (the team was previously called the Chicago Colts for most of the 1890s until a reporter christened them the Cubs in 1902) that even the most die-hard fans might not know. The “Voices of the Cubs” section thankfully throws tribute to Jack “Brick” Brickhouse and other announcers whose fame has fallen behind the shadow of Chicago icon Harry Caray. Chicago and its athletic heritage is something the author knows a thing or two about; Johnson’s written Chicago Cubs Trivia Teasers and Chicago Bears Trivia Teasers. The book also offers an impressive collection of historical shots, from the packed stadium at the 1912 City Series to the fan-favorite bleacher seats for the 1929 World Series.
Bottom line: A fun read for anyone who’s felt the magic at Wrigley Field. –M.W.
BOOK
DAVID LUBBERS and DAVE DEMPSEY
The Waters of Michigan
(Michigan State University Press)
At first glance, this black-and-white collection seems to be another book to add to the library of breathtaking Great Lakes photographs – but the extended captions take a refreshingly new approach of educating the reader about how the water and land was formed. Lubbers, an experienced photographer from Grand Rapids, partners with Dempsey, a consultant for Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy, to remind readers of what makes the Great Lakes so great. In one picture where a tree overlooks sandy dunes that meet the coast, Dempsey explains: “Carrying sand deposited by glaciers to the Great Lakes, tributaries initiate the process of building sand dunes…over centuries, currents and wind shift additional sand toward the shore, ultimately piling up the finely sorted particles of quartz and feldspar into majestic dunes…” Other pictures and captions show the reader how by-products of industry have shaped the shoreline. Ultimately, the book serves as both a wonderful reflection on our waters, and a wake-up call to protect them. After all, as Dempsey reminds us, “Humankind’s roads, but not humankind’s influence, stop at the shores of the Great Lakes.”
Bottom line: Breathtaking pictures and informative descriptions make for a captivating geology lesson on the Great Lakes. –M.W.
WEBSITE
PAMELA BANNOS
hiddentruths.northwestern.edu/home.html
Strolling through Lincoln Park near North Avenue one day, Pamela Bannos came upon the Couch Tomb, languished there since before the Chicago Fire. Lincoln Park had once been Chicago City Cemetery, but why did only one tomb remain? Bannos searched the likes of the City of Chicago archives and the Chicago Tribune database. She interviewed Park District historians and Chicago History Museum archivists. She recorded audio and video, photographed, even became a cartographer. Bannos left no stone unturned, so to speak. She amassed this treasure trove on a website of her own, called “Hidden Truths: The Chicago City Cemetery and Lincoln Park.” It seems the Chicago City Cemetery story had been based on “faulty intelligence.” The records, assumed to have been lost in the Chicago Fire, were discovered in a warehouse on the southwest side of the city. And this is just the beginning of Bannos’ journey; she’s documented each act of this Chicago history expedition with meticulous detail. Like any good mystery, Bannos unveils new details on every page.
Bottom line: Whether you’re a Chicago-file or an archeologist, this website provides plenty of mystery on one of the city’s oldest haunts. –Gail Isaacson
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