The Encyclopedia of Chicago

Rating:
Summary: History is written by the winners....
Review: First and foremost, I hope the "Encyclopedia of Chicago" considers a second edition to improve upon what is missing in the first edition.

The book itself is beautiful, well-designed and the layout is exceptional. The problems arise in what is missing and some bias which peaks its head out on occasion. This book, in short, attempts to be definative, however in this grand effort details and subject matter has been missed.

Not unlike any large anthology or as a more precise example - a general book on baseball - most readers will seek out sections that they are most close to or interested in. Fans of the home run will seek out the section on home run hitters as an example. In my quest, I found several notable individuals and organizations, important to the City of Chicago and its rich history unmentioned.

Take for instance Florence Scala. Scala, the leader of the push to save Chicago's Little Italy from the expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago is not mentioned. Take for instance the Near West Side Conservation Council. The NWSCC, founded in 1960, was responsible (in part) for the expansion of the concepts of urban renewal that made Hyde Park famous, yet is also not mentioned. Even the University Village Association, a leader in the revival of the Near West Side, which now celebrates over 20 years of existance - is not mentioned.

The section on Italian Americans in Chicago and their role is in short weak and hardly indicative of their role in building Chicago.

I am also critical of the lack of coverage on Chicago's sports teams. While they may not deserve the reams of paper that other books have covered, the Encyclopedia falls flat in its lack of substantive historical notation.

The tone of the book is serious, and it takes itself seriously - which makes my observations hopefully some which the gentle readers of this brief review will also ponder prior to purchase so as to not have the excessive expectations I once had.

In reviewing the contributors, the Encyclopedia's team did not reach out to the extent they should have to find the pre-imminent authors relative to the subject matter. A second edition, I would hope, would really improve upon this first effort.

Surprisingly, the Daley administrations also met with barely a paragraph; when a page at least would seem to be natural.

A more definative list of source material or a bibliography would also be of benefit.

Despite my criticisms, the book is worthy for home sick Chicagoans to look upon its history. The bias however, leaning toward the progressives, does not do justice by neglecting the grit, passion and characters who made Chicago over the past 175 years what it remains today - a great city of promise, hard work and texture - made richer by immigrants and scoundrals, people of faith and people of determination.



Rating:
Summary: Captures the size, wonder, and complexity of the metropolis
Review: This encyclopedia is a joint effort of the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society, two organizations eminently qualified to condense one of the greatest cities in the world into a single volume. Each page holds a plethora of memory-worthy facts. Maps and diagrams both small and large abound that describe everything from racial distributions to abandoned coal-delivery infrastructure. Scattered among the main entries are special-interest boxes with passages from qualified commentators-- see especially the discussion of the meaning of "downstate" written by former governor James Thompson.

Each of the Chicago area's myriad neighborhoods and localities gets its own detailed entry, including a locator map, that discusses history and present disposition. These are joined by longer discussions of the great social changes that have taken place in Chicago over the years as well as case studies of several neighborhoods that include extensive graphic explanations.

Though it is laid out alphabetically like any other encyclopedia, this volume is a pleasure to browse. A wander through its pages is facilitated by a helpful system of references set into the text and cross-listings provided at the end of each article.

If you've ever walked (or driven, or taken the El over) the streets of Chicago and wondered what's under, over, and around you, you'll become absorbed by this book. What's more, the next time you walk through the city, you'll do so with a more thorough understanding of what you're experiencing.