Some of the earliest work ever written by Elmore Leonard – a range of short stories from the 50s, some of which were even created while Leonard was working in the advertising business! The later Leonard style is definitely in effect here, but the stories are also shorter, more focused, and with a very sharp punch – more in line with postwar crime/detective pulp styles, with maybe a dose of Hemmingway – and without all the later twists, turns, and key complications that Leonard often brought to his famous books! The result is some great hard crime writing – with locales that stretch from Detroit jazz clubs to south of the border bullfight rings – all marked by a great sense of dialogue, which really moves the stories along sharply. 330 pages, softcover. Book

A work of fiction, but one that dives deep into the mind of Miles Davis, its main character – in a tale that begins with a police assault outside Birdland one night in August of 1959, then follows Davis as he reacts the the experience – moving around the city, and ruminating about his role in jazz and the impulses that have brought him so far. Author Wesley Brown takes a lot of liberty with dialogue and thoughts that might have been going through Miles' head – and romantic interest Frances Taylor figures strongly in the story as well. Some might argue for the opinions uttered by Davis in the story, and the tone he takes when speaking – but that's also part of the compelling quality of the book, and the risks it takes – imagining internal and external modes amidst a framework of actual events. 65 pages, hardcover. Book

A fascinating look at our fair city of Chicago – a city of neighborhoods, which are often very separate and divided – as you'll discover in this detailed look at four of them by William Julius Wilson and Richard P Taub! The volume follows on Chicago classics like Black Metropolis, but looks at things from a more contemporary process – as the evolving areas of the city continue to be a microcosm of larger issues in the country, which is obviously one of the directions the authors are taking the project. Research was very detailed – done with the assistance of a number of graduate students – but the information is nicely distilled, in a combination of ethnographic and sociological methods that combine data and dialogue. The project is great – and our main complaint as Chicagoans is that it's just lacking in a map and addresses – but that's something that will hardly bother a reader outside of the Windy City. 227 pages, softcover. Book