Customer Reviews

The Chicago River: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways

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David Solzman paints a portrait of the Chicago River that glows with vitality. His book is a careful mix of scholarly detail, gorgeous graphics (many photographs were taken by the author), and a resounding voice expressing his love for one of Chicago's natural treasures. Solzman, a professor of geography at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a long-time lover of the Chicago River: "lover" is the significant word here. Solzman knows the River like the back of his hand. Her history, both natural and cultural, is fully detailed here. Her past troubles are dissected, and her future is assessed. Solzman's work for the nonprofit group "Friends of the Chicago River" provides him with the ability to examine what the future of the Chicago River will be. This book makes me want to closely watch and rejoice in the River.

As a native of Chicago I loved this book. I thought I knew all about Chicago's wonderful history, the waterways, the neighborhoods, its colorful past and promising future. Solzman's book reminded me of so much I had forgotten or never knew. As an avid canoeist I felt connected to the river as I travelled "arm chair style" past familiar haunts and intersections. All this from my new home in the hot deserts of Arizona. Thank you David for your wonderful story telling and accurate accounting of Chicago's waterways.

It was delivered in less than a week. The book was like new, no marks, tears or signs of wear. I was very pleased. It was in excellent condition.

I bought this book before my 2nd time to Chicago. When I read the introduction of the book at Amazon.com, I thought it would be useful as the tour guide to the river tour in Chicago. However, I found it is useless for the travelers who would like to take the ship and enjoy the time on the Chicago River as the scene in 'My Best Friend's Wedding'. This book is good if you are interested in the history, geography, architecture and any other things about the Chicago River. On the other hand, if you want to be a lazy traveler who only wanna enjoy the sights and the atmosphere on the river, just throw this book away and open your eyes to see the beautiful things around.