Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 1, 1856–1931

by Stuart D. Levitan

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 since for a century or more.

264 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2006

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as a thank you gift from WORT, and I intended it to be a coffee table book to share old pictures of Madison. But the more I looked through it, the more intrigued I was, and I ended up reading the whole thing. It is really a great reference for anyone living in this town, and there is great credit to be given for curating so many stories and photos. Levitan suffers a bit, maybe, from too much information, and at times I was swimming in endless blurbs about mayors and quotations, but it was wonderful to read about how the layout, the park systems, the university, and the government evolved. I was particularly interested in the many early connections between the University of Wisconsin and my own alma mater, Williams College. But to be sure, the text is secondary to the wonderful collection of photos that shows the incredible growth over time of this great city.

[Dave Upton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most interesting book I’ve read all year as a Madison lifer.

[Kristy Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great early review of Madison history!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that's great to just have around for a quick resource. Really well laid out and easy to read. I learned that an apartment building in my neighborhood originally was one of the first hospitals in Madison. Also learned about why all of the roads west of downtown have angled turns (it was the combination of two different plats). Also learned that the neighborhood directly to the east of where we live was originally marketed as a summer vacation destination by investors from Minneapolis and Chicago.