'Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 1, 1856-1931'

Here's my review from Amazon of Stu Levitan's new book. If you have any interest at all in local history, buy this book.

'Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 1, 1856-1931' covers the first 75 years of Madison's history as an official city, but also covers the critical formative years beginning in 1834. This wonderful book has literally hundreds of photos, maps, and illustrations. The book is organized by decade with a boxed list of major events, a city map, and a list of births and deaths. Each chapter contains many bite-sized sidebars on prominent Madisonians or worthy news items.

Levitan follows the Great Man theory of history at least as it applies at the municipal level. At national and international levels great currents of history tend to overwhelm the acts of individuals, but at the local level, one person can really make a huge difference - for good or ill. Madison has been fortunate in the number of highly talented people who were motivated to act for the common good.

Levitan's also views land use decisions as being nearly eternal and the evidence bears him out. Take a look at James Duane Doty's original plat from 1836 and note how closely the central city adheres to it to this day. Or study the juxtaposition of the University's first plat to Doty's original plat on today's near west side and you'll gain an understanding why things don't seem to fit together very well - The UW plopped its plat down at an odd angle to the Doty plat and we still live that today.

A couple of minor quibbles. The book lacks a table of contents and an index. Apparently the second edition will contain at least an index. More substantively, the story of the Indian mounds, their destruction and preservation deserves a fuller treatment. The mounds around Madison are the most under-recognized asset in the area. They constitute a World Heritage class archaeological resource.

Highest recommendation for anyone with the slightest interest in Madison history. You will learn some new things (like the story of the Dividing Ridge) or a new way of looking at something you already knew. It's easy to pick up this fabulous volume for a few minutes, but hard to put down.

Reviewer:Douglas S. Wood "Vicarious Life" (Monona, WI) - See all my reviews