Wisconsin / Photography / History
Madison
This engaging illustrated history, full of photographs, maps, and bird's-eye views, captures Madison's early history from its first days as a city to the Great Depression. Biographical vignettes tell the stories of early movers and shakers in the city. The volume includes many archival images of Madison that have never been published or have not been seen for a century or more. "Every page and every illustration selection bears the stamp of Levitan's passionate and opinionated affection for his adopted hometown. Using a multitude of published and unpublished sources and the magnificent collections of photographs and illustrations available for Madison research, Levitan informs, entertains, engages, surprises, and, in some instances, will outrage. Historically informed Madison readers will have 'I never knew that' moments, and newcomers to the Madison area will be astounded to see the transformations wrought since Madison struggled into being in 1837 as a hamlet/capital. Madison historians who now refer offhandedly to Parks, Thwaites, and Mollenhoff have a new name to add to their list: Levitan."–Jack Holzhueter, historical consultant and retired editor, Wisconsin Magazine of History 2006 marks the 150th anniversary of the
city of Madison. |
To order, you can accumulate titles in the Shopping Cart by clicking on the bulleted lines below. You can submit your order electronically, paying for it with MasterCard or Visa. Click here for further explanation of shopping cart feature.
Never
ordered from us before? |
|
|
Reviews | Index of book, pdf | Index of book, text | Press kit
Isthmus | Wisconsin
State Journal | The Capital
Times In the preface to Madison: An Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume I, 1856–1931, Stuart Levitan writes, "The past matters because the past lives." That is also the first line of this week's cover story, derived from the book. "Turning Points" gives evidence to this thesis, as Levitan cites eight incidents and decisions that have had an enduring effect upon the fate of Madison and its citizens. The book itself is a fascinating ramble
through the attic of Madison's past. It provides many more
than eight references to names, schemes and enterprises that
present-day Madisonians will react to and remark to themselves,
"So that's why such and such is called that." Or "That's
why that's like that." And the great strength of the book
is the "Illustrated" in its title. Full of period
photographs, documents and maps, it visually takes us back to
the times it recounts. more Local historian Stuart Levitan says we still pay the price for James Doty's lack of vision when he laid out the original plat map for a city he hoped would grow to 10,000 residents. Levitan's just-published book, Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, 1856–1931 (UW Press: $34.95), is an absolutely fascinating look at the city's history, beginning with what Levitan calls a "slap-dash job" in platting the city. Among the problems, Levitan argues, is a railroad corridor that would have run trains right into Capitol Square and "claims that were public relations puffery at best, if not outright deception—like the assertion that the proposed canal four blocks east of the planned capitol was 'perfectly practicable,' notwithstanding the 40-foot hill in its path, or that almost the entire isthmus was 'high, dry & well situated for Building' when vast areas of East Washington Avenue were in fact marshland and would remain so well into the 20th century." Most of us think Madison's hub and spoke design with streets radiating out from the Capitol was based on the plan for Washington, D.C. But Levitan finds a message from city planner John Nolen saying there is "small justification for the claim" and arguing that city's lakefronts, "the prime and only legiimate factor to justify the selection of Madison as the Capital City—were ignored altogether as far as public utilization was concerned." All this by page 11 of a 259-page book that only gets more interesting as the reader moves on. more No Place
Like Home The book, not surprisingly, is more fun than a yearbook. After all, "Scoop" used to be Levitan's nickname as a reporter. Jack Holzhueter, a distinguished state historian and popularizer of history, says: "Levitan informs, entertains, engages and surprises. Historically informed Madison readers will have 'I never knew that' moments." more
|
||
Stuart
Levitan has been a mainstay of Madison media and government
since 1975. An award-winning print and broadcast journalist,
he has written extensively for local and national programs on
radio and television. A former county supervisor, he is the only
person in Madison history to chair all three of the city's primary
land use and housing committees. Since 1987, he has also been
a labor mediator/arbitrator for the State of Wisconsin.
|
If you have trouble accessing any page in this web site, contact Kirt Murray, Web manager. E-mail: kdmurray@wisc.edu or by phone at 608-263-0733. Updated January 31, 2008 © 2008, The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System |