“Chicago has been called, in its time, the wickedest city in the world, and somehow or other (in exactly what manner it matters not) the impression has gone abroad that it is really a very wicked place indeed.” And yet: “It is possible for a perfectly moral person, one used to all the refinement and peace of the most law-abiding and self-respecting of communities, to spend any length of time in Chicago without being contaminated by the evil that may be found easily enough if sought. This statement is made with due consideration and careful thought. It may seem a bold one, but it is true, nevertheless.”
According to their acknowledgments, Durica and Savage spent some time in saloons while editing the book. Their annotations to the “mistake-ridden and highly irregular original text” are both amusing and informative, much as Chicago by Day and Night is itself.
Ed. Paul Durica and Bill Savage (Northwestern University Press) Reading Sat 6/1, 1 PM
Newberry Library
60 W. Waltonnewberry.org
free
