Tuesday night I attended the lecture on the new Chicago Encyclopedia. Rick told me to pay attention and pass on what I learned.
There are 1400 entries, 400 photographs, mostly ones you probably haven't seen before and it weighs 6.7 lbs. The emphasis is on places and groups. Use the 2000 entry biographical dictionary for people. Words printed in all caps send the reader to related articles. There are see also references and bibliographies at the end of entries. There is an entry for most communities. Someone in the audience pointed out a mistake in the article on Western Springs. The appendix contains census information by community, a list of mayors, the biographical dictionary, and a dictionary of leading Chicago businesses. The maps are fascinating, 45 were created especially for this book. The project took 14 years to complete and should go electronic April 28th on the Chicago Historical Society website. The lady sitting next to me declared the program, "fascinating!"
Paired with the Chicago Yellow Pages, this title would make a good booster seat for younger patrons.
Kris