Building Stories
Award-winning Oak Park cartoonist Chris Ware’s boxed set of 14 printed works focuses on four Chicagoans who are linked by living in the same building—but whose connections can’t be simply reduced to their shared address. Though the stories center on the mundane, Ware’s nonlinear visual storytelling is extraordinary. $50, Pantheon Books
Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair
Chicago created a stir when it aced out New York City, St. Louis, and DC to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the New World. Authors Joseph M. Di Cola and David Stone capture the thrill of the World’s Columbian Exposition, when the Ferris Wheel debuted and admission was just 50 cents. $22, Arcadia Publishing
False Impressions
In Laura Caldwell’s sixth and final installment of the action-packed Izzy McNeil series, the private investigator takes on the Windy City art world to protect Madeline Saga, a Michigan Avenue gallery owner whose life is threatened when she’s accused of selling forged paintings. $8, Mira
Joyce, Queen of the Mountain
Joyce Selander, who made history in 1977 when she became the first woman to trade financial futures in the pits of The Chicago Board of Trade, names names and inspires readers with the ultimate tell-all. $17, iUniverse
The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook
Since opening in 2008, The Meatloaf Bakery’s crave-able and creative savory cupcakes—meatloaf base and mashed potato “frosting”—have been tiny but mighty staples for Lincoln Park’s on-the-go set. Owner Cynthia Kallile shares her secrets, with classic recipes such as The Mother Loaf and creations like The Falafel-ly Good Loaf. $20, Ivy Press
Mies van der Rohe: A Critical Biography
The new revised edition of the long out-of-print biography has fascinating new professional and personal insight into the legendary Chicago architect, including a transcript unearthed by co-author Edward Windhorst that details the saga of the Farnsworth House court case. $45, University of Chicago Press
Rising Up from Indian Country
Noted historian Ann Durkin Keating honors the bicentennial of the Battle of Fort Dearborn by highlighting key figures like Captain Nathan Heald and John Kinzie and recounting American, French, and Native American viewpoints to commemorate Chicago’s epic origins. $30, University of Chicago Press
The Things That Matter
Objects may not define us, but down-to-earth Chicago designer Nate Berkus believes in celebrating the things that connect us. The local design hero shares more than a few of his favorites to show the importance of personal touches in home storytelling. $35, Spiegel & Grau
Whispers from the Void
Chicago author Sherrill Bodine departs from her trademark bodice rippers in this collaborative comic conceived by Charles Moisant, which Bodine developed and wrote with Laurie DeMarino, Rosemary Paulas, and Patricia Rosemoor. In the female-driven series, a ghost, a vampire, a flesh construct, and a mad scientist join forces to challenge the seven deadly sins. $4, Silver Phoenix Entertainment
You Were Never in Chicago
Inspired by A.J. Liebling’s 1952 New Yorker essay that first used the phrase “the Second City,” Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg’s seventh book draws on his more than 30 years as a Chicago transplant. Of his book, he says: “This isn’t the best Chicago or the true Chicago, but it’s my Chicago.” $25, University of Chicago Press
