Databases & Websites by Subject
Booklists
- Searching for Chicago History
The City of Chicago has a rich and diverse history, ranging
from the Chicago Fire and the World's Columbian Exposition
to the Great Chicago Flood of 1992. The following sources
will help you find the places, events and people that shaped
the city.
Comprehensive Histories
977.311 CHI
Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City - 1997
977.311 ENC Also in Reference and Junior Room
The Encyclopedia of Chicago - 2004
An online version of this title can be found at www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org.
977.311 HOL
Chicago in Maps: 1612 to 2002 by Robert Holland - 2005
977.311 LEW
Historic Photos of Chicago by Russell Lewis - 2006
977.311 MAY
Chicago: Growth of a Metropolis by Harold M. Mayer - 1969
977.311 MIL
City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America by Donald L. Miller - 1996
The video Chicago: City of the Century (DVD 977.311 CHI) is based on Miller’s book.
977.311 PAC
Chicago: A Biography by Dominic A. Pacyga - 2009
977.311 PIE
A History of Chicago by Bessie Louise Pierce - 2007
977.311 SPI
City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago by Robert G. Spinney - 2000
People
305.8 ETH
Ethnic Chicago: A Multicultural Portrait- 1995
973.046872 JIR
Mexican Chicago by Rita Arias Jirasek - 2001
Part of the Images of America series; other titles in the series include Chicago’s Polish Downtown, German Chicago, Irish Chicago, and Italians in Chicago.
977.311 BLA
Bridges of Memory: Chicago’s First Wave of Black Migration and Bridges of Memory: Chicago’s Second Generation of Black Migration by Timuel D. Black - 2003 and 2007
977.311 CHI
Chicago Lives: Men and Women Who Shaped Our City - 2005
977.311 CIC
Chicago and the American Century: The 100 Most Significant Chicagoans of the Twentieth Century by F. Richard Ciccone - 1999
977.311 MAY
The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition - 2005
977.311 SAW Also in Reference and Junior Room
Chicago Portraits: Biographies of 250 Famous Chicagoans by June Skinner Sawyers - 1991
Places/Neighborhoods
917.7311 SOL
The Chicago River: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways by David M. Solzman - 2006
977.311 GRA Also in Junior Room Reference
Chicago’s Monuments, Markers, and Memorials by John Graf - 2002
977.311 KEA Also in Junior Room Reference
Chicago Neighborhoods and Suburbs: A Historical Guide by Ann Durkin Keating - 2008
977.311 PAC Also in Reference
Chicago, City of Neighborhoods: Histories & Tours by Dominic A. Pacyga - 1986
Buildings/Architecture
711.4 BUR
Plan of Chicago by Daniel Hudson Burnham (Centennial Edition) - 2009
720.977 CHI Also in Junior Room
Chicago’s Famous Buildings - 2003
720.977 LOW
Lost Chicago by David Lowe - 2000
720.977 PRI
Chicago Architecture and Design by Jay Pridmore - 2005
720.9773 BEN
Great Houses of Chicago, 1871-1921 by Susan S. Benjamin - 2008
720.9773 ZUK
Masterpieces of Chicago Architecture by John Zukowsky - 2004
728.37 CHI
The Chicago Bungalow - 2003
Time Periods
331.85 ADD
Twenty Years at Hull-House with Autobiographical Notes and The Second Twenty Years at Hull-House, September 1909 to September 1929, with a Record of a Growing World Consciousness by Jane Addams - 1910 and 1930
977.311 DAN Also in Reference
A Compendium of the Early History of Chicago to the Year 1835 When the Indians Left by Ulrich Danckers - 1999
An online version of this title can be found at www.earlychicago.com.
977.311 GRE
World War II Chicago by Paul M. Green - 2003
977.311 SAM
Chicago in the Fifties: Remembering Life in the Loop and the Neighborhoods by Neal S. Samors - 2005
977.311 SAM
Chicago in the Sixties: Remembering a Time of Change by Neal S. Samors - 2006
Events
364.1523 LAR
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson - 2003
977.311 BAL
The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary’s Cow by Richard F. Bales - 2002
977.311 BOL
The World’s Columbian Exposition: The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 by Norm Bolotin - 2002
977.311 COW
To Sleep with the Angels: The Story of a Fire by David Cowan - 1996
977.311 GAN
The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair: A Century of Progress by Cheryl Ganz - 2008
977.311 GRE
Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America by James R. Green - 2006
977.311 KUE
Remembrances of the Angels: 50th Anniversary Reminiscences of the Fire No One Can Forget by John Kuenster - 2008
977.311 WAC
The Eastland Disaster by Ted Wachholz - 2005
Uniquely Chicago
309.177311 TER
Division Street: America by Studs Terkel - 1967
388.4 YOU
Chicago Transit: An Illustrated History by David Young - 1998
508.77311 GRE
A Natural History of the Chicago Region by Joel Greenberg - 2002
792.09773 CHR
A Theater of Our Own: A History and a Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago by Richard Christiansen - 2004
977.311 ABB
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott - 2007
977.311 BOR
The Chicago “L” by Greg Borzo - 2007
977.311 ENR
Chicago’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Murderous Mobsters, Midway Monsters, and Windy City Oddities by Laura Enright - 2005
977.311 GOD
The Great Chicago Trivia & Fact Book by Connie Goddard - 1996
977.311 OGO
Strange But True Chicago: Tales of the Windy City by Thomas J. O’Gorman - 2005
Video
DVD 720.973 FRA
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home & Studio - 2008
DVD 977.311 AME
American Revolution 2: Riots to Revolution: Chicago in 1968 - 2007
DVD 977.311 CHI
Chicago: City of the Century - 2003
DVD 977.311 EXP
Expo: Magic of the White City - 2005
DVD 977.311 REM
Remembering Chicago: The Boomer Years - 2007
There are other titles in the Remembering Chicago series in both VHS and DVD format.
Websites
American Experience: Chicago: City of the Century
Includes maps, trivia, biographies, and a timeline of Chicago history, as well as clips and related information from the documentary film of the same title.
Chicago Timeline
From the Chicago Public Library; includes useful links to more detailed information.
Early Chicago
An online, updated version of the book A Compendium of the Early History of Chicago to the Year 1835 When the Indians Left by Ulrich Danckers.
Encyclopedia of Chicago
Online version of the print publication of the same name.
Forgotten Chicago
Interesting resources and links, many of which provide unique and idiosyncratic Chicago history.
Jazz Age Chicago
Historical overview of the time period from 1893 to 1945, with many links to other Chicago history sites.
The World’s Columbian Exposition: Idea, Experience, Aftermath
Includes a virtual tour of the famous World’s Fair of 1893, as well as visitors’ reactions and other information.
Prepared by Chris Portman, March 2011 |
