encyclopedia of chicago
The Encyclopedia of Chicago

About the editors:

James R. Grossman is vice president for research and education at the Newberry Library and visiting professor of history at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration and A Chance to Make Good: African Americans 1900–1929. Ann Durkin Keating is professor of history at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She is the author of Building Chicago: Suburban Developers and the Creation of a Divided Metropolis; Invisible Networks: Exploring the History of Local Utilities and Public Works; and Chicagoland, the last forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press. Janice L. Reiff is associate professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of Structuring the Past: The Use of Computers in History and coeditor of The Settling of North America: The Atlas of the Great Migrations into North America from the Ice Age to the Present.

About the Encyclopedia:

Developed by the Newberry Library with the cooperation of the Chicago Historical Society, and more than a decade in the making, The Encyclopedia of Chicago is the definitive historical reference on metropolitan Chicago. Here, hundreds of historians, journalists, and experts on everything from airlines to Zoroastrians explore all aspects of the rich world of Chicagoland, from its geological prehistory to the present.

The Encyclopedia of Chicago includes:

More than 1,400 entries offering an expansive and detailed view of Chicago’s past

56 original thematic maps exploring such topics as ethnicity, transportation, commuting, religious diversity, and recreation and leisure

386 thumbnail maps pinpointing Chicago neighborhoods and suburban municipalities

More than 400 black-and-white photographs bringing Chicago’s history to life

21 interpretive essays presenting intriguing views of such topics as the city’s built environment and its sports culture

Comprehensive biographical dictionary listing more than 2,000 key individuals in Chicago history

Detailed dictionary cataloging approximately 250 of the city’s historically significant business enterprises

Photo essays featuring the city’s urban art and artifacts as well as nine pivotal years in its history

Fascinating timeline tracing Chicago’s history from 1630 to 2000