Books about Illinois history free online, vintage and modern. Chicago histories too.
‘‘Vintage Books‘ are at the bottom
City watch: Discovering the Uncommon Chicago – Chicago History Book
Anderson, Jon
University of Iowa 2001
Chicago history books, Illinois history books.
Historic Illinois from the Air
Buisseret, David
University of Chicago 1990
The geography and history with the help of numerous aerial photos.
Illinois: Crossroads of a Continent – Illinois History Textbooks
Carrier, Lois
University of Illinois 1993
Book about Illinois.
The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968
Clayton, John
Southern Illinois University 1970
Facts about Illinois.
“Yankees and Southerners Clash in Frontier Illinois” – Illinois Frontier History Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 15, No. 2, 2009, pp 11-15
Davis, James E.
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Illinois 1800s, Illinois frontier history.
See our Illinois historic documents
“Frontier Chicago” – History of Chicago Free Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 6, No. 1, 1999, pp 26-28
Duis, Perry
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Chicago history.
“Illinois as a French Colony” – Illinois History Free Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 11, No. 1, 2004, pp 9-13
Esarey, Duane
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
History of Illinois.
See our Illinois military history free books & articles
Profiles of Illinois: history, statistics, demographics for 1,436 populated places in Illinois including comparative statistics and rankings
Garoogian, David
Grey House 2011
Profile of 21st Century Illinois.
Illinois: A History of the Prairie State – Illinois History Textbooks
Howard, Robert P.
Eerdmans 1972
State of Illinois history.
See our giant collection of free American history books
“An Inflammable Region”: Indians, Anglo-Americans, and Lead Mining in Northwestern Illinois, 1788-1832″ Illinois History Free Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 15, No. 2, 2009, pp 2-6
Jelatis, Virginia
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
History of mining in Illinois.
Building for the Centuries: Illinois, 1865 to 1898 – Illinois History Book PDF
Keiser, John H.
University of Illinois 1977
Late 19th Century Illinois history.
See our free Illinois historic newspapers & journals
Illinois: History, Government, Geography – Textbook of Illinois History PDF
Kilduff, Dorrell and Pygman, C. H.
Follett 1962
A 1960s history and civics school text-book, well-illustrated. Illinois history textbook, Illinois government textbook.
See a brief history of the ‘Old Northwest’
“Conflicts: The French and the Anglo-Americans in Pre-statehood Illinois” – Illinois History Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 9, No. 1, 2002, pp 2-5
Lebeau, B. Pierre
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
The history of Illinois.
“Public Transportation and the Failure of Municipal Socialism in Chicago, 1905-1907” – History of Chicago Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 9, No. 1, 2002, pp 28-36
Morton, Richard Allen
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Chicago history.
See our Illinois government & politics free books & articles
The History of Illinois – Book on the History of Illinois Online
Pease, Theodore Calvin
Univ of Chicago 1975
“Here is the heritage of contemporary Illinois. This compact history of the state, known for half a century for its historical accuracy as well as story-telling quality, presents the people, places, and events, both local and national, that shaped Illinois from the days of the first explorers through the 1960s.” -Book cover.
“Tragedy in the Chicago Fire and Triumph in the Architectural Response” – Chicago History Online
Illinois History Teacher Vol 4, No. 1, 1997, pp 34-37
Rayfield, Jo Ann
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Chicago history, Illinois history online.
Read books online free here at Century Past library
“John Peter Altgeld and the Haymarket Riot Pardons” – History of Chicago Free
Illinois History Teacher Vol 9, No. 1, 2002, pp 9-12
Schlup, Leonard
Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
The Prairie State: A Documentary History of Illinois – Civil War to the Present
Sutton, Robert P., ed.
Eerdmans 1976
The Structuring of a State: The History of Illinois, 1899-1928
Tingley, Donald F.
Urbana: Univ of Illinois 1980
“Tingley chooses to build his historical narrative “from the ground up,” to tell the “story of the real people of the world” — farmers, businessmen, blue collar workers, minorities, artists, sports and other pop culture figures, and many more. His account deliberately avoids a simple chronicling of political personalities and events which are as often symptoms as shapers of most historical periods. Tingley ventures into the cultural, social, agricultural, industrial, as well as political arenas of Illinois life during the first three decades of this century.” -Book jacket
VINTAGE BOOKS – History of Illinois
The Illinois Country, 1673-1818 – Vintage Illinois History Book
Alvord, Clarence W.
Springfield: Illinois Centennial Commission. 1920
Professor Clarence Walworth Alvord (1868 – 1928) spent his career immersed in Illinois history. The writing of this centennial history of Illinois was sponsored by the Illinois State Historical Library and the University of Illinois.
The Critical Period, 1763-1765. British Series, Vol 1 – Illinois History Book
Alvord, Clarence W. and Carter, Clarence E., eds.
Springfield, ILL: Illinois State Historical Library 1915
“This is volume 10 of the Collections of the Illinois state historical library, and volume 1 of the British series, a series of several volumes to cover the period of British domination.
The New Regime 1765-1767. British Series, Vol 2 – Illinois History Book
Alvord, Clarence W. and Carter, Clarence E., eds.
Springfield, ILL: Illinois State Historical Library 1916
This is the second of three volumes of collected historical documents in a series on the era of the British regime in Illinois country.
Trade and Politics, 1767-1769. British Series, Vol 3
Alvord, Clarence W. and Carter, Clarence E., eds.
Springfield, ILL: Illinois State Historical Library 1921
This is the third of three volumes of collected historical documents in a series on the era of the British regime in Illinois country. Note that any French documents in the collection are translated.
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Knox County.
Bateman, Newton, Selby, Paul, Gale, W. Selden and Gale, George C.
Chicago: Munsell. 1899
This is essentially two separate volumes packaged together in this edition. The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois is 608 pages. Over half the entries appear to be biographical, and the majority of the rest appear to be towns and counties.
History of Illinois
Blanchard, Rufus
Chicago: National School Furnishing 1883
Illinois history textbook.
The Industrial State, 1870-1893 – History of Illinois
Bogart, Ernest L. and Thompson, Charles M.
Chicago: McClurg 1922
Volume four of the Centennial History of Illinois. Illinois history book.
The Modern Commonwealth, 1893-1918
Bogart, Ernest L. and Mathews, John M.
Chicago: McClurg 1922
Volume five of the Centennial History of Illinois. History of the state of Illinois, historic Illinois.
The Settlement of Illinois: 1778-1830
Boggess, Arthur Clinton
Chicago: Chicago Historical Society. 1908
“The record of the narrow poverty out of which came abundance, of the chaos out of which came organization, in short, the record of the small beginnings of a great American commonwealth.
Illinois in 1818. Centennial History of Illinois Vol 1
Buck, Solon J.
Chicago: McClurg. 1918
All five volumes of The Illinois Centennial History, by different authors, are also found on this web page.
Great Britain and the Illinois country, 1763-1774
Carter, Clarence E.
Washington: American Historical Ass. 1910
The Era of the Civil War 1848-1870. Centennial History of Illinois Vol 3
Cole, Arthur Charles
Chicago: McClurg. 1922
All five volumes of The Illinois Centennial History, by different authors, are also found on this web page.
“The Passing of the Frontier” – Economic History of Illinois
Mississippi Valley Historical Review Vol V, 1918-19, 288-312
Cole, Arthur C.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Mississippi Valley Historical Association
The author uses demographic and economic data as well as descriptions of conditions in cities and towns to illustrate how Illinois by 1850s had replaced much of its pioneer atmosphere with an environment similar to that of the developed eastern U.S. the history of Illinois.
Illinois
Darling, Frank W.
NY: Macmillan 1904
A vintage Illinois geography book.
A Complete History of Illinois from 1673-1873
embracing the Physical Features of the Country; its Early Explorations; Aboriginal Inhabitants; French and British Occupation; Conquest by Virginia; Territorial Condition and the Subsequent Civil, Military and Political Events of the State
Davidson, Alexander and Stuve, Bernard
Springfield ILL: Phillips. 1877
“The first serious attempt at a history of the state. The title sufficiently describes the scope. The authors are hero-worshippers, and display old-fashioned prejudices against Indians and British; naturally, considering the time, they are weak in ethnology and archaeology; and are amateurish in style. The type is solid, the pages uninteresting in appearance, and there is no index. Despite these drawbacks, the book is of considerable merit, and deserves careful attention from the historical student.”
– Literature of American History; a bibliographical guide (1902).
A History of Illinois, from its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847 – 19th Century History of Illinois
Ford, Thomas (Governor)
Chicago: Donnelley 1854
“Covers the years 1818-1847. Gives a valuable account of banking operations; of internal improvements; of the Black Hawk War, and especially of Mormonism in Illinois. Ford was active in state affairs during the entire period, being Governor from 1842 to 1846. His history is based on his own experience and facts drawn from original sources.
Illinois : The Story of the Prairie State – History of Illinois Textbook Free
Humphrey, Grace
Indianapolis : Bobbs-Merrill 1917
This history appears to have been written for high-school aged students, but is lighter reading than a typical textbook.
Chicago Yesterdays: A Sheaf of Reminiscences, Garnered by Caroline Kirkland – History of Chicago Book
Kirkland, Caroline, comp.
Chicago: Daughaday 1919
Collection of articles by various writers. History of Chicago articles.
Early Chicago and Illinois – Vintage History of Chicago Book
Mason, Edward G.
Chicago: Fergus printing 1890
Chicago history, history of Illinois.
The Beginnings of Illinois – History of Illinois Online
A historical review of the steps leading to the division of the Northwest country east of the Mississippi into the several states now existing … Wisconsin and Illinois boundary dispute
Meese, William A.
Moline, Il?: 1904
Illinois history.
The Story of Illinois and Its People – Illinois History Textbook
Nida, William Lewis
Chicago: Farquhar & Albright 1921
Intended for use in schools.
The Frontier State 1818-1848: Centennial History of Illinois Vol 2 – Illinois History Books
Pease, Theodore C.
Chicago: McClurg. 1922
All five volumes of The Illinois Centennial History, by different authors, are found on this web page.
The Settlement of Illinois from 1830 to 1850 – Frontier History of Illinois
Pooley, William Vipond
Madison: University of Wisconsin 1905
This was originally the author’s PhD thesis, submitted at the University of Wisconsin Department of History.
Stories of Illinois
Pratt-Chadwick, Mara L.
Boston: Educational 1900
From the series Young Folk’s Library of Choice Literature. .
Chicago and the Old Northwest, 1673-1835 … – Pioneer History of Illinois
A study of the evolution of the Northwester frontier, together with a history of Fort Dearborn
Quaife, Milo M.
Chicago: Univ of Chicago 1913
“The book is a comprehensive study of the evolution of the northwestern frontier, with Chicago as its pivotal point.”
– The Book Review Digest.
The Pioneer History of Illinois …
containing the discovery in 1673 and the history of the country to the year 1818, when the state government was organized
Reynolds, John
Chicago: Ferguson. 1887
<John Reynolds (1788-1865) served on the Illinois Supreme Court 1818-1825, was a member of the Illinois legislature 1826-1830, 1846-1848 and 1852-1854 (the last term as Speaker of the House), and served as Governor of Illinois 1830-1834. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1834-1837 and 1839-1843.
History of Illinois
Robinson, Luther Emerson and Moore, Irving
NY: American 1909
History of Illinois and her People; Volume1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Smith, George W.
Chicago: American Historical Society 1927
The author was a Professor of History at the State Teachers College in Carbondale. The first three volumes contain the history of Illinois, and Volumes 4 through 6 are biographical. The Table of Contents for the first 3 volumes is found at the beginning of Volume 1, and the index for all 6 volumes follows immediately after the Table of Contents. Look up individuals profiled in the biographical volumes in that Volume 1 index.
Story of Illinois
Smith, George Washington
Chicago: Hall & McCreary 1912
A short history, for students.
An Outline for the Study of Illinois State History
With a reference list from the books, and other historical material in the Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield, Illinois
Weber, Jessie Palmer, comp.
Illinois State Historical Library 1905
The detailed outline is followed by a reference list that appears to contain hundreds of sources for Illinois history.