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Ink, Identity, and the Illinois Imprint.
A Literary Tapestry of Place.
Before the skyscrapers rose and the highways carved through prairie, Illinois was already writing its story—one county atlas, one city document, one magazine issue at a time. This section invites readers to explore the state’s soul through its most enduring artifacts: books, maps, and manuscripts that chronicle the people, politics, and peculiarities of Illinois from the Jazz Age to the digital age.
At the heart of this collection lies the Chicagoan Magazine, a dazzling cultural beacon published from 1926 to 1935. Modeled after The New Yorker, it sought to redefine Chicago’s image—not as a city of gangsters and grit, but as a cosmopolitan hub of art, music, and modernity. With 166 full issues now digitized, readers can immerse themselves in the magazine’s witty prose, bold cover art, and profiles of the city’s rising stars. It’s a time capsule of the Roaring Twenties, where satire met sophistication and Chicago dared to dream big.
Complementing this are 55+ Chicago documents, each a thread in the city’s civic and cultural fabric. From immigration court records to concert films celebrating the city’s musical legacy, these documents offer a panoramic view of Chicago’s evolution—its triumphs, tensions, and transformations.
And then there’s the treasure trove of 265 Illinois County books, spanning centuries and counties from Adams to Winnebago. These atlases and histories—all digitized and freely accessible—reveal patterns of land ownership, family lineages, and local lore. Whether you’re tracing ancestral roots or mapping forgotten towns, these volumes are more than reference—they’re resurrection.
Together, these resources form a literary landscape as diverse and dynamic as the state of Illinois itself. So crack open a county atlas, flip through all the Chicagoan Magazine covers, or dive into a dusty township plat.
The past is waiting—and it’s beautifully bound.
ILLINOIS BOOKS; SEARCHABLE PDF
A Woman's Story of Pioneer Illinois, by Christiana Holmes Tillson. Pub:1919
A Timeline of Illinois History
African-American Postal Workers in the 20th Century.
Alton Illinois Illustrated. pub:1912
American Bottom Region of Illinois
Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Day by Day Record of Sherman's March to the Sea. pub:1906
Belleville, [Southern] Illinois - Illustrated. pub:1905
Biography in Black, A History of Streator, Illinois. pub:1962
Blue Island Story, 1835-1962. pub:1962
Broadwell Inn & Tavern, Clayville, Illinois. [built in 1824]
Burma-Shave History; 500+ multi-sign advertising messages seen on Illinois Highways.
Centennial History of Illinois, Volume - 01, 02
Clarence Darrow, Timeline of His Life and Legal Career.
Complete History of Southern Illinois' Gang War. pub:1927
Constitution of the State of Illinois 1818. pub:1819
Dwight Centennial, 1854-1954: A Great Past - A Greater Future
East Saint Louis, Illinois: Race Riots of 1917
Freeburg, Illinois, Centennial Celebration, 1859-1959
French and Indians of the Illinois River. pub:1874
Galena Illinois Guide. pub:1937
Glimpses of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, history from 1722 to 1942
Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, Autobiography of; by Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard pub:1911
Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, Incidents and Events in the Life of; by G.S Hubbard pub:1888
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois. pub:1900
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, with Commemorative Biographies, Vol 2. pub:1926
History of Belleville, Illinois. pub:1951
History of East St. Louis. pub:1875
History of Gazette Building in Champaign, Illinois.
History of Illinois from commencement in 1818 to 1847; by Gov. Thomas Ford. pub:1854
History of Millstadt, Illinois
History of Mokena, Illinois
History of Negro Servitude in Illinois and of Slavery Agitation; 1719-1864. pub:1904
History of New Milford, Illinois, 1835-1975
History of Sears Modern Homes and Sears Honor Bilt Homes.
History of the City of Cairo, Illinois. pub:1910
History of the City of Quincy. Illinois by General John Tillson. pub:1880
History of the Illinois Training School for Nurses, 1880-1929. pub:1930
History of Southern Illinois, its Historical Progress, People, pub:1912 - Volumes 01, 02, 03
History of the Swedes of Illinois. pub:1908
Illinois Crime Survey, by Illinois Association for Criminal Justice. pub:1929
Illinois in 1818, by Solon Justus Buck. pub:1918
Kinsella Log Cabin (two-story) built in 1854, Fairview Heights, Illinois. [photography by N.Gale]
Laws of Illinois, Relating to Cities and Villages. pub:1878
Laws of the Illinois Territory, 1809-1818. pub:1950
Life of Black Hawk as dictated by himself. pub:1834
Maeystown, Illinois - The Entire Village; National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
Mother Bickerdyke, Her Life and Labors for the Relief of Our Soldiers. pub:1886
Nicholas Jarrot Mansion, Cahokia, Illinois - Illinois' Oldest Brick House. [completed 1806]
Old Illinois Houses, by John Drury. pub:1941
Origins of Nude Swimming in Illinois Public Schools.
Pana, Illinois. pub:1913
Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois. pub:1905
Pioneer History of Illinois containing the Discovery in 1673 to 1818. pub:1887
Skokie (Niles Centre), Illinois - Old businesses within a block radius from downtown Skokie.
Springfield: the home of Abraham Lincoln. pub:1926
Story of Illinois and Its People, pub:1910, Rev. ed.1913
The Early History of Illinois: discovery by French in 1673, until cession Great Britain in 1763.
The First Settler of Evanston and Wilmette - Antoine Ouilmette; 1790-1826.
The Life of Logan Belt the Noted Desperado of Southern Illinois. pub:1888
The Pioneer History of Illinois contains the discovery in 1672.
The Rivalship of Insignificant Villages: Springfield, Sangamo Town Development. 1817-1840
Two hours in Springfield by the Chicago & Alton Railroad Passenger Dept. pub:1909
Two Years' Residence on the English Prairie of Illinois. pub:1822
Wood River, Illinois Massacre of 1814
Zeigler, Illinois. A Breath Away from Being the Nation's Capitol.
ILLINOIS COUNTY BOOKS IN PDF FORMAT
CHICAGO BOOKS IN PDF FORMAT
A Guide to the City of Chicago, with a city map.
pub:1868. [pre-1871 Chicago Fire]
American Negro Exposition 1863-1940, July 4 to Sept. 2, 1940, Chicago, IL.
Bygone Days in Chicago; Recollection of the "Garden City" of the Sixties [1860s]. pub:1910
Captain Streeter, Pioneer. pub:1914 [Streeterville Neighborhood of Chicago]
Chicago and the Old Northwest, 1673-1835 (inc. Fort Dearborn). pub:1913
Chicago and the Great Conflagration, pub:1871
Chicago Antiquities, comprising original items, relations pertaining to early Chicago. pub:1881
Chicago City Railways; "The Trail of the Trolley," pub:1909
Chicago in the early 1800s an area in transition.
Chicago Map Book of 77 Community Areas
Chicago Park District history, background, and organization. pub:1936
Chicago Past and Present; a manual for the citizen, the Teacher and the Student. pub:1906
Chicago Photographers 1847 through 1900, as listed in Chicago City Directories.
Chicago Public Transportation - Street Railways.
Chicago Street Renaming Document of 1909
Chicago Street Renumbering Document of 1909
Chicago Street Renumbering Document of 1911 for Chicago Loop Addresses.
Chicago's Greatest Issue; an Official Plan. pub:1911
Chicago's Magnificent Melting Pot (Devon Avenue), American Airlines. June 2015
Chicago’s Underground Freight Railway History & The Great Flood of 1992
Des Plaines, Illinois Centennial Celebration. pub:1935
Dime Museums in Chicago, Illinois [The 1890s to 1920s]
Dutch Communities of Chicago, pub:1927
Early Chicago: as seen by a cartoonist. pub:1947
American Negro Exposition 1863-1940, July 4 to Sept. 2, 1940, Chicago, IL.
Bygone Days in Chicago; Recollection of the "Garden City" of the Sixties [1860s]. pub:1910
Captain Streeter, Pioneer. pub:1914 [Streeterville Neighborhood of Chicago]
Chicago and the Old Northwest, 1673-1835 (inc. Fort Dearborn). pub:1913
Chicago and the Great Conflagration, pub:1871
Chicago Antiquities, comprising original items, relations pertaining to early Chicago. pub:1881
Chicago City Railways; "The Trail of the Trolley," pub:1909
Chicago in the early 1800s an area in transition.
Chicago Map Book of 77 Community Areas
Chicago Park District history, background, and organization. pub:1936
Chicago Past and Present; a manual for the citizen, the Teacher and the Student. pub:1906
Chicago Photographers 1847 through 1900, as listed in Chicago City Directories.
Chicago Public Transportation - Street Railways.
Chicago Street Renaming Document of 1909
Chicago Street Renumbering Document of 1909
Chicago Street Renumbering Document of 1911 for Chicago Loop Addresses.
Chicago's Greatest Issue; an Official Plan. pub:1911
Chicago's Magnificent Melting Pot (Devon Avenue), American Airlines. June 2015
Chicago’s Underground Freight Railway History & The Great Flood of 1992
Des Plaines, Illinois Centennial Celebration. pub:1935
Dime Museums in Chicago, Illinois [The 1890s to 1920s]
Dutch Communities of Chicago, pub:1927
Early Chicago: as seen by a cartoonist. pub:1947
Everleigh Club Marketing Booklet with 30 Photographs (extremely rare) in PDF.
Favorite Dishes. A Columbian Autograph Souvenir Cookery Book, Chicago. pub: 1893
Favorite Dishes. A Columbian Autograph Souvenir Cookery Book, Chicago. pub: 1893
Five Schlitz Brewery Tied-Houses & Stable Building built between 1898 to 1906 in Chicago.
Forgetting How to Hate: Evolution of White Responses to Integration in Chicago, 1946-1987
Forgetting How to Hate: Evolution of White Responses to Integration in Chicago, 1946-1987
Guide to the City of Chicago, pub:1862
Geographic Background of Chicago, pub:1926
History of Chicago from earliest period to the present time, pub:1884 - Volumes: 01, 02, 03
History of Chicago: Its Commercial and Manufacturing Interests and Industry. pub:1862
History of Niles, Illinois - Centennial, 1899-1999
History of Palatine, Illinois - Centennial Book, 1855-1955
History of the Chicago Police: from Settlement to 1886. pub:1887
History of the Swedish Engineers' Society of Chicago, 1908-1948
Geographic Background of Chicago, pub:1926
History of Chicago from earliest period to the present time, pub:1884 - Volumes: 01, 02, 03
History of Chicago: Its Commercial and Manufacturing Interests and Industry. pub:1862
History of Niles, Illinois - Centennial, 1899-1999
History of Palatine, Illinois - Centennial Book, 1855-1955
History of the Chicago Police: from Settlement to 1886. pub:1887
History of the Swedish Engineers' Society of Chicago, 1908-1948
Indian Trails and Villages of Chicago and Cook Dupage Will
Counties of Illinois 1804
Old Monroe Street, Notes on the Monroe Street of Early Chicago Days. pub:1914
Municipal Control of Tuberculosis in Chicago 1915
Oscar Mayer Enterprise. Chicago, Illinois
Personal experiences during the Chicago fire. pub:1871
Plan of Chicago by Daniel H. Burnham. pub:1909
Race, Ethnicity, and Union in the Chicago Stockyards. pub:1992
Old Monroe Street, Notes on the Monroe Street of Early Chicago Days. pub:1914
Municipal Control of Tuberculosis in Chicago 1915
Oscar Mayer Enterprise. Chicago, Illinois
Personal experiences during the Chicago fire. pub:1871
Plan of Chicago by Daniel H. Burnham. pub:1909
Race, Ethnicity, and Union in the Chicago Stockyards. pub:1992
Reminiscences of early Chicago and vicinity. pub:1902
Skokie Swift, The Commuters Friend. pub:1968.
The Alpha Suffrage Record; Volume 1, Number 1, March 18, 1914
Skokie Swift, The Commuters Friend. pub:1968.
The Alpha Suffrage Record; Volume 1, Number 1, March 18, 1914
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. pub:1906
The Story of Jewish Life in Chicago.
Township of Jefferson, Illinois. pub:1911
Twenty Years at Hull-House by Jane Addams. Pub:1910
Wau-Bun, the Early Day in the Northwest, by Juliette Kinzie. pub:1873 [John H. Kinzie's wife]
Uptown Theater in Chicago - Opening Program -1925
Zenith's Story, a History beginning in 1919.
The Story of Jewish Life in Chicago.
Township of Jefferson, Illinois. pub:1911
Twenty Years at Hull-House by Jane Addams. Pub:1910
Wau-Bun, the Early Day in the Northwest, by Juliette Kinzie. pub:1873 [John H. Kinzie's wife]
Uptown Theater in Chicago - Opening Program -1925
Zenith's Story, a History beginning in 1919.
