Books and Publications
The Chicago History Museum’s holdings of books and other published materials include both primary and secondary sources that document the city of Chicago, its people, its culture, and its industry.
The Chicago History Museum’s holdings of books and other published materials include both primary and secondary sources that document the city of Chicago, its people, its culture, and its industry.
The books and other published materials in the Library collection complement the Archives and Manuscripts, Prints and Photographs, and Architecture holdings of the Museum. Researchers will find materials related to metropolitan Chicago’s residents and communities; its businesses, cultural, social service institutions, and religious groups; and its geography, transportation, and architecture. Collection strengths include coverage of events such as the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition; the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition; the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; Chicago neighborhoods; and a strong representation of materials on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
In addition to books, periodicals, and newspapers, the published materials holdings include:
- Theater programs
- City directories and telephone books
- Maps and atlases (including fire insurance maps)
- Sheet music
- School yearbooks
- Newsletters
- Department store and manufacturers’ catalogs
- Guidebooks
- Chicago building permits, 1872–1954
- Menus
- Newspapers and newspaper clipping files
Research Inquiries and Collection Access
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