When investigating the mysteries of Chicago's past, it's helpful to examine the physical evidence. From a fiddle played by a Chicago pioneer and a jersey worn by Michael Jordan to a relic of the Great Chicago Fire and the guns used in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, these talismans chronicle the city's tragedies and triumphs. Some heirlooms shed new light on familiar figures like Louis Sullivan, while others commemorate the contributions of less heralded visionaries like Frances Glessner Lee. Joseph Gustaitis explores Chicago's history through fifty carefully chosen objects, a collection that includes stockyard knives, the world's first portable radio and Nelson Algren's typewriter.

Joseph Gustaitis is a Chicago-based freelance writer and editor. He received his AB from Dartmouth College and his MA and PhD in history from Columbia University. He is the author of many popular history magazine articles. After working as an editor at Collier's Year Book, he became the humanities editor for Collier's Encyclopedia. He has also worked in television and won an Emmy Award for writing for ABC-TV's FYI program. His previous books are Chicago in 50 Objects, Chicago's Greatest Year, 1893: The White City and the Birth of a Modern Metropolis and Chicago Transformed: World War I and the Windy City.