HomeUnabridged Books Recommends
01. Apr, 2009 
6 Comments
If you find yourself in Chicago, you simply must visit Unabridged Books, a Lakeview institution since 1980 and my favorite bookstore. Due in part to their friendly and dedicated staff (it’s the kind of place where the “new” guy has worked there two years), Unabridged has come to feel more like a second home than a business, a place I want to drop in and visit for a spell even when I have a growing pile of books (and work) waiting at home.
When I was a lonely 22 year old kid trying to figure out Chicago and praying I’d meet a couple friends, I’d spend hours at Unabridged flipping through magazines and reading the staff’s hand written book recommendations, which have turned me on to books I never would have read and writers who change the way I think. In a way, Unabridged Books has literally re-wired my brain; how many times have you heard that said about a business (other than Google)?
I’ve read your comments, and I think a book may be just the ticket for what ales you, so I asked Unabridged if they’d provide some picks for your hopeful edification. I’ll run a couple or so every week until the well runs dry, and then I’ll stop in at Unabridged to beg for more. I hope you enjoy reading them and find yourself inspired to pick up a new book (preferably at Unabridged).
The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser
On March 18, 1990, two men disguised as police officers broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston and stole 13 paints. With an estimated value at over $500 million, the Gardner heist remains the largest unsolved art theft in history. Journalist Ulrich Boser “inherits” the case after the death of famed art detective Marold Smith and is plunged into the seedy Boston underworld, pursuing hundreds of leads and becoming increasingly obsessed with the mystery.
Boser never romanticizes or sensationalizes the theft, and maintains a perfect balance between engaging prose and factual evidence. It becomes clear that Boser is motivated less by money or fame and more by the belief that the public deserves to see art in all its original beauty. Shane loves!
Thanks Shane. Shane’s the fuh-sizzledizzle, so be sure to check out his pick. Ok, next up:
The Thoreau You Didn’t Know by Robert Sullivan
I didn’t know Thoreau very well before I read Sullivan’s engaging work. But this excellent introduction to the man and his legacy cogently argues that Thoreau was gregarious, community-minded, a man who engaged in society rather than removing himself from it. “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads,” says Thoreau. Robert says: “Read this, and then read Walden.”
So check back in next Wednesday for the next installment of “Unabridged Books Recommends.”** In the meantime, stop in at Unabridged Books, located at 3251 N. Broadway. For more information, visit their website.
Please shop at local bookstores and independent businesses; your money really makes a difference there, helping to employ locals, providing a unique point-of-view in an increasingly homogeneous world and helping to strengthen communities; local businesses spend more of their revenues in the community than stores owned by large companies. Besides they’re so much more enjoyable to visit than your typical virtual big box booksellers.
Thank you to Flickr Member Leah the Librarian for the Unabridged Books photo
** If you come up with a snappier title and if I decide to use it, you will win an official Unabridged Books book marker.
I’ll have to check out this bookstore! If you’re ever in Evanston you MUST stop by Bookman’s Alley. It’s a used bookshop so no new titles, but it’s an amazing warren of rooms with comfy chairs, jazz music playing, strange objects and memorabelia everywhere….a great place to while away an afternoon.
Hi, T8, thanks for the recommendation. It will go on my worldwide list of Top 10 best bookstores. I must point out, however, the phrase “ales” you in your third paragraph was certainly what we writers call a “Freudian slip”, [ails] being the word you were searching for, perhaps while thinking longingly of a nice cold “ale”.
Take it easy, have a great day!
Paula, I have been there. It’s by Design Within Reach right? That’s how I map out all destinations, their proximity to design shops.
Yup – that’s the one! Bookman’s Alley also has a nice selection of old posters at decent prices (I bought a cool woodcut poster depicting various Japanese sumo wrestling poses) and across the alley Alley Gallery does an excellent job for all framing needs (although they aren’t exactly a budget frame shop).
As a confessed bibliophile, I’ll make it a point to visit Unabridged. Looks like a great place to browse. Great site! Thanks for being so eclectic!!!
Yes, I love Unabridged, too. They carry books I don’t see at the chain bookstores.
Another good shop is Powell’s on Lincoln for budget books, the ones you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them for $4.95.