History of Chicago from Trading Post to Metropolis
External Studies Program | University College

Bibliography

The bibliography contains a list of the major books about Chicago History.

TO 1871

• Andreas, Alfred, History of Chicago, Chicago, 1886.
• Fehrenbacher, Don, Chicago Giant: A Biography of Long John Wentworth, Madison, 1957.
• Quaife, Milo, Chicago and the Old Northwest, 1673-1835, Chicago, 1913.

1871-1920

• Buder, Stanley, Pullman, New York, 1967.
• Ginger, Ray, Altgeld's America, New York, 1958.
• Harrison, Carter, Stormy Years, 1935.
• Nelli, Humbert, Italians in Chicago, New York, 1970.
• Tuttle, Jr., William M., Race Riot: Chicago in the Red Summer of 1919, New York, 1975.
• Wendt, Lloyd, Bosses in Lusty Chicago, Bloomington, Indiana 1974.

1920-1975

• Asbury, Herbert, Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld, New York, 1940.
• Banfield, Edward, Political Influence, New York, 1961.
• Gosnell, Harold, Machine Politics, Chicago Model, Chicago 1939, and  Negro Politician: The Rise of Negro Politics in Chicago, Chicago, 1935.
• Gottfried, Alex, Boss Cermak of Chicago, Seattle, 1962.
• Levine, Edward M., The Irish and Irish Politicians; A Study of Cultural and Social Alienation, Notre Dame, 1966.
• Liebling, A.J., Chicago, The Second City, New York, 1952.
• Merriam, Charles, Chicago: A More Intimate View of Urban Politics, New York, 1929.
• O'Conner, Len, Clout, Chicago, 1975.
• Rakove, Milton, Don't Make No Waves, Don't Back No Losers, Bloomington, Indiana, 1975.

General Histories

• Cromie, Robert, A Short History of Chicago, San Francisco, 1984.
• Dedmon, Emmett, Fabulous Chicago, New York, 1981.
• Hayes, Dorsha, Chicago: Crossroads of American Enterprises, New York, 1944.
• Hoyt, Homer, One Hundred Years of Land Values in Chicago, Chicago, 1933.
• Kitagawa, Evelyn Mae, Local Community Fact Book: Chicago Metropolitan Area, 1960, Chicago, 1963.
• Kogan, Herman, Chicago: A Pictorial History, New York, 1958.
• Lewis, Lloyd, Chicago, The History of its Reputation, Chicago 1929.
• Masters, Edgar Lee, The Tale of Chicago, New York, 1933.
• Pierce, Bessie, A History of Chicago, 3 vols. New York, 1937-57.  Unfortunately, it only goes to 1893.
• Wagenknecht. Edward, Chicago, Norman, Oklahoma, 1964.

1975-1987

• Fitzgerald, Kathleen, Brass: Jane Byrne and the Pursuit of Power, Chicago, 1981.
• Granger, Bill, Lords of the Last Machine: The Story of Politics in Chicago, New York, 1987.
• Granger, Bill and Lori, Fighting Jane, New York, 1980.
• Gove, Samuel and Masotti, Louis, After Daley: Chicago Politics in Transition, Champagne, IL., 1984.
• Holli, Melvin and Green, Paul, Making of the Mayor: Chicago 1983, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1984.
• Holli, Melvin and Green, Paul, The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, Carbondale, IL., 1987.
• Kleppner, Paul, Chicago Divided: The Making of a Black Mayor, Dekalb, IL., 1984.
• Levinsohn, Florence, Harold Washington: A Political Biography, Chicago, 1983.
• Travis, Dempsey, An Autobiography of Black Politics, Chicago, IL., 1987.

Since 1987

• An Early Encounter With Tomorrow: Europeans, Chicago Loop And The World's Columbian Exposition
  By Arnold Lewis, 1997.
• Challenging The Growth Machine: Neighborhood Politics
  By Barbara Ferman, 1996.
• Daley: Power And Presidential Politics
  By F. Richard Ciccone, 1996.
• Inside The Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions, 1860-1996, By Sautter, R. Craig And Edward Burke, 1996.
• The Jews Of Chicago: From Shtetl To Suburb
  By Irving Cutler1996.
• Richard J. Daley: Politics, Race And The Governing Of Chicago
  By Roger Biles, 1995.
• Experts And Politicians: Reform Challenges To Machine Politics
  By Kenneth Finegold, 1995.
• City Of The Century
  By Donald Miller, 1995.
• Smoldering City: Chicagoans And The Great Fire 1871-74
  By Karen Sawislak, 1995.
• What Parish Are You From?: A Chicago Irish Portrait
  By Eileen Mc Mahon, 1995.
• Ethnic Chicago: A Multi-Cultural Portrait
  Edited By Melvin Holli And Peter Día. Jones, 1995.
• The Lost City: Discovering The Forgotten Virtues Of Community In The Chicago Of The 1950's
  By Alan Ehrenhalt, 1995.
• Urban Disorder And The Shape Of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, The Haymarket Bomb, And The Model Town Of Pullman
  By Carl S. Smith, 1995.
• Black Metropolis: A Study Of Negro Life In A Northern City
  By St.Clair Drake, 1993.
• Northern Protest: Martin Luther King Jr. Chicago And The Civil Rights Movement
  By Ralph James , 1993
• Pride In The Jungle: Community And Everyday Life In The Back Of The Yards
  By Thomas Jablonsky, 1993
• Bitter Politics: Black Politics And The Chicago Machine 1931-1991
  By William Grimshaw, 1992.
• My Chicago
  By Jane Byrne, 1992.
• Swedish-American Life In Chicago: Cultural And Urban Aspects Of An Immigrant People 1850-1930
  By Various Authors, 1992.
• Nature's Metropolis: Chicago And The Great West
  By William Cronin, 1991.
• Polish Immigrants And Industrial Chicago: Workers On The South Side
  By Dominic Pacyga, 1991.
• Harold Washington And The Neighborhoods: Progressive City Government In Chicago 1983-87
  By Various Authors, 1991.
• Education And Greek Immigrants In Chicago 1892-1973
  By Andrew Kopan, 1990.

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