Chicago by Gaslight: A History of Chicago's Netherworld: 1880-1920

Often imitated, seldom duplicated, Richard Lindberg is a remarkable Chicago historian. If you doubt the accuracy of the last statement, I challenge you to check the acknowledgments, bibliographies and footnotes of many historical and true crime books written by other authors during the past two decades. You will constantly see citations to Lindberg's previously published works. If you read the prefaces, you will find that other authors often extend their thanks to Lindberg for his cooperation and encouragement. While it is possible that a book may have been published on Chicago history or true crime during the last twenty years that does not refer to Lindberg, I would immediately question how reputable such a book or its author might be! Sadly, there are some unscrupulous writers do not wish to acknowledge their unpaid debts to others. Those authors who have chosen to consult Lindberg's publications have done so for good reasons. He has resurrected many half forgotten and obscure accounts of Chicago's past and oftentimes uncovered new facts dismissed or neglected by the contemporary historians, crime investigators and reporters who actually visited the scenes! Many of the crimes and scandals described in this book have been largely erased from public memory. The buildings have been demolished, the streets renamed and the surviving ancestors of the participants scattered to parts unknown, possibly living under assumed names. I particularly enjoyed "Chicago by Gaslight: A History of Chicago's Netherworld, 1880-1920." For those of you who frequent secondhand bookstores, the book was originally published under a different title, "Chicago Ragtime, Another Look at Chicago, 1880-1920." I found the book to be satisfying because I was able to appreciate it on two different levels: firstly, because it is engrossing nonfiction writing that resulted from solid scholarship and, secondly, because it also served to reacquaint me with Rich Lindberg and his writings on topics unrelated to professional sports. As a personal aside, I first met Rich Lindberg at Northeastern Illinois University, where we both were graduate students, albeit in different graduating classes. While I was aware of the fact that he was studying the Chicago Police Department for his history thesis paper, I chiefly regarded him as being the avid sports fan (he eventually became the official team historian of the Chicago White Sox). "Chicago by Gaslight" was the first of his book titles that I read that had did not concern major league baseball. This book enlarged my own knowledge of Chicago history. Many of the genteel histories compiled about Chicago's formative years and published during the Gilded Age omitted the impolite and unsavory details about criminal and political activities (the two categories are not mutually exclusive) that did not occur amongst the industrialist millionaires, meatpackers and philanthropists residing in mansions on Prairie Avenue. Yes, there were a few a

Some little-known history. A must to fill out your Chicago history collection.

This is a well documented expose on the underbelly of Chicago, that 'big shouldered' metropolis. Deliciously lurid, fascinating and infuriating accounts of the birth of the labor and socialist movements, lots of police and political scandal and corruption, murder and mayhem - including a gruesome chapter on the notorious HH Holmes, racial tensions, assorted vice (drugs, prostitution, gambling) and a whole lot more. Lots of colorful pre-Capone thugs and characters.

Richard Lindberg has written one of the best resouces available and comes highly recommended. I bought this book as research material for a novel and found it extremely helpful. A valuable and informative guide for anyone interested in this fascinating period in Chicago's history.