Encyclopedia of Chicago - fini!

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On May 20, 2005, I bought a print copy of the Encyclopedia of Chicago, pub. 2004, for my husband and had it autographed by Ann Durkin Keating, one of the editors. Her mother is a neighborhood acquaintance of mine, so the book has more than one significance for me.

Even though my husband is a lifelong Chicagoan, I was more interested in the book than he was. I began reading one column at a time nearly every day, even the Chicago business histories at the end of the A-Z articles. After almost 8 years, I finished the last business entry, Zenith Radio Corp. It seemed fitting to read that Zenith filed for Chapter 11 in the late 90s and then went into further decline - like so many of the other Chicago businesses in the list.

I've now lived in Chicago longer than any other place. Before that, my family moved about every 4 years on average, so it feels good to know that I've been here for 40 odd years and can call it home. It's so big, though, that I don't have personal knowledge of large parts of the city or all the different kinds of people who live here. That's where the book comes in handy. Take a look at the online version. You can read about everything Chicagoan, from birthing practices to vaudeville.

I'm going to miss spending time with the book on my lap, but it was great reading!