A well-known book around these parts – and a very important piece of Chicago history! The playful title is no mistake – as Dempsey Travis tells the story of black Chicago through his own history – his youth on the south side, rise as an important African-American businessman, and his continued years of service to and interaction with the community. Travis is one of those names that may not ring that strongly outside the Windy City, but here in Chicago he left an undeniable impact – where his story of hope and hard work have gone onto inspire many over the years. But more than tale of success, the book's just a great read – and a really fascinating portrait of the changes in mid-century Chicago through one man's eyes. 216 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

Beautiful work from the glory days of the adult film – hundreds of posters that were used to publicize erotic cinema – often themselves a masterpiece in erotic aesthetics! Given that most of the posters were outside the theater, open to the public, there's a fair bit of hide and seek, teasing-type material here – at a level that's maybe even more creative than the images on the screen, especially when set to the typography and color filters of the late 60s/early 70s print world! The book features all posters in full color, and also intersperses some bits from magazines and other publications too – all at a level that's really playful, reveling in the style of the genre, while also poking a slight bit of fun. Graham Marsh was the art director, and you may know his name from a number of excellent album cover books – and overall, most images are softcore at best, with a small amount of nudity – although there are some heavier images from time to time. 352 pages, hardcover, and in full color. 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

The music scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is one that's had an undeniable impact on cultural activity in recent decades – yet it's also one of those scenes that initially happened without most folks taking place – that is, it was a real artist and musician's scene, and not the kind that was easily open to outsiders until many years later! In this really well-done book, Cisco Bradley (who also gave us a great volume on William Parker) digs deep into the earliest days of the Williamsburg scene – that late 80s moment when Manhattan and other spots had become too expensive for the truly creative – and the other side of the East River emerged as a great place to move, live, and continue to make music. Bradley really gets at the criss-crossing elements of the scene at the time – and follows it well into the 21st Century, to a time when the changing real estate market in Brooklyn, and subsequent zoning changes, started to give Williamsburg the same creative fate as Soho, the East Village, and other important New York scenes in previous decades. Different initial chapters look at key spaces as forces – warehouses and lofts, clubs and galleries, and even pirate radio – and later chapters look at the larger forces causing change in the 21st Century. A really hefty book, as well-researched as it is well-written – 388 pages, softcover, with some black and white images. Book