Reviews

"Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour of the Windy City, might well be the most innovative approach to a city guide I have ever seen. . . . I was struck with the depth of research and passion that Holden brought to this work. . . . the author skillfully enhances his narratives about traveling around Chicago with excerpts from novels, plays, poems, and other literary works. He ties these in with what can actually be seen today, whether you're wandering on foot or by vehicle. Along the way, Holden layers in facts and historical anecdotes in a manner that makes these otherwise quite ordinary places seem larger than life. . . . The next time you find your road trip path wending its way to Chicago, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book and use it to explore places you are unlikely to find on your own . . ."

—Mark Sedenquist, Roadtrip America, March 27, 2005

"This gem is full of literary walking tours—with stops at the homes of such authors as Saul Bellow and Carl Sandburg—and a guide to today's great hangouts. Stuck in traffic at Clybourn, North, and Halsted? Remember what Edna Ferber once wrote about the area: 'Clybourn Avenue has a rather elegant sound. There was never a more inelegant thoroughfare.'"

—Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune, April 22, 2001

". . . a useful and readable guide, and a wide-ranging one, too."

—Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times, April 22, 2001

". . . Holden takes us on a journey, both literal and literary, through the obvious and the little known nooks and crannies of Chicago's literary heritage—from the places where authors lived and wrote to those oh-so-real venues and avenues that filled imaginations, as well as pages, with what would become the fictionalized settings for their works."

—John Spizzirri, UIC Alumni Magazine, “Paging Through Chicago's Literary Past and Present," July/August 2001

"Greg Holden is the kind of guy who spends vacation time hunting down the homes of his favorite authors—Hemingway's house in Key West, Faulkner's estate in Mississippi. . . . Holden . . . decided to write Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour of the Windy City after realizing he didn't have to leave home to indulge his hobby. . . . Along with the usual suspects . . . He also covers more contemporary scribes . . . Holden spent a lot of time driving around and digging through dusty stacks in local libraries to research his book, which also covers bookstores, literary events, and trivia . . ."

—Cara Jepsen, Chicago Reader, July 13, 2001

"Literary Chicago . . . pinpoints and accounts for an assortment of places of interest to writers and book lovers, including the Chicago haunts of Hemingway, Sandburg, Terkel, Royko, and many others."

—Seth McEvoy, ForeWord Magazine, "No Passport: New Books on Domestic Travel," Spring Announcements Issue 2002

"Leave it to Lake Claremont Press to come up with an unusually cool idea for a sight-seeing tour. Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour of the Windy City by Greg Holden takes you deep into parts of the city that have nurtured, sheltered, and challenged an impressive roster of legendary local scribes and up-and-coming talent . . ."

—Jean Kozlowski, Cricket in the Corner, November 2001

"Continuing along with a literary theme, I particularly liked Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour of the Windy City by Greg Holden that provides a lively look at those writers who incorporated the Second City into their work. These included Ernest Hemingway, Gwendolyn Brooks, David Mamet, and, of course, Studs Terkel, to name just a few. You will take a tour of the places where Carl Sandburg, Edna Ferber, and Saul Bellow lived and stroll through the neighborhoods that were the homes to the fictional Sister Carrie, Studs Lonigan and V.I. Warshawski. Then, too, the book also tells you about the many coffee shops, bars, bookstores and restaurants where yesterday's and today's writers gather for poetry readings and book signings. This publisher specializes in Chicago and the Midwest with many excellent titles. Check them out at www.lakeclaremont.com."

—Alan Caruba, Bookviews, November 2001

"Like any Oak Park enthusiast, I thought I knew my Ernest Hemingway history. . . . I never knew, however, about the other Chicago addresses that Hemingway called 'home' after he left Oak Park      . . . . In this book, Holden tours the Chicago area, including Oak Park, pointing out the literary nooks and crannies of our city. . . . In addition to identifying interesting locations, Holden shares descriptions that writers have created to describe Chicago places . . . "

—Deborah Dowley Preiser, Pioneer Press, "Library Footnotes," January 9, 2002

"Discover why the Windy city has attracted and nurtured writers, editors, publishers, and book lovers for more than a century."

—Literary Traveler, Literary Traveler Bookstore, June 12, 2001

“Literary Chicago by Greg Holden is an intriguing tour of the Windy City.”

—Tim Boxer, 15 Minutes Magazine, December 2005

"Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour Of the Windy City was designed specifically for bibliophiles in need of a fun and lively guidebook to the homes, haunts, and neighborhoods of Chicago's impressive literary figures ranging from Ernest Hemingway, Gwendolyn Brooks, David Mamet, and Carl Sandburg, to Ben Hecht, Mike Royko, Studs Terkel, Edna Ferber, and Saul Bellow. Literary Chicago is unique, user friendly, and a "must" for locals and out-of-towners wanting to explore Chicago's heritage of writers, journalists, poets, editors, publishers, and bookstores."

—The Bookwatch, The Midwest Book Review, June 2001

"I've never been to Chicago, but my wife has. And on her last trip there she picked this book up for me. At first I barely glanced at it, but then one night I was looking for something to read and began to scan through it. I finally put it down several hours later, amazed at how engrossed I had become. I did not realize how many well known authors had roots or connections to Chicago. The information is concise and has just enough detail for anyone interested in a who's who of Chicago literature, as well as the bookstores to hit when you're there."

—Amazon reader review, "A Tour of One of America's Literary Capitals," January 23, 2004