The Detroit Almanac

by Peter Gavrilovich and Bill McGraw, Bill Mcgraw

This is an updated edition of The Detroit Almanac, originally published in October 2000 as metro Detroiters got ready to mark Detroit's 300th anniversary in July 2001. The new edition includes a 16-page prologue on the beginning of Detroit's fourth century, followed by the original 648 pages devoted to the region's first 300 years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference

664 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2000

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was simply a compilation of all kinds of information from the Free Press on Detroit's history, from the beginning of white occupation of the area. I was hoping for a much bigger crime section, and strangely, it avoids covering actual crime IN DETROIT like the plague, at least after the Great Depression. They covered 3 Michigan serial killers, but only 1 of them was even in the Metro area. It didn't include stories on the missing 5- to 7-year-olds who kept disappearing on their way to school in the 70s, or the woman who gutted her retirement savings to pay for children's funerals during the "dimwits with guns" era in the early 1980s, or even Deletha Word's killing on the Belle Isle Bridge. They were determined to show us what an interesting, varied city Detroit is and they did a great job there. There are good-sized cultural and architectural sections and a lot of other good stuff in here -- thank God they spared us another photo of the Dodge Fountain!

[Claire S]

This is formatted not so much as straight text, but more like a Guinness Book of World Records type thing. Lots of photos and graphics, and each page has multiple headlines followed by a paragraph or two of text, or a list, or bullet points, or what have you. The overall tone is positive and bursting with energy. The intro briefly skims over some of the challenges facing the city, the whole rest of it is for the most part a celebration.

Chapters include:
FAQs
History
Superlatives
People
Nature
Work & Business
Wealth
Transportation
Politics
Geography
Culture
Communications
Buildings
Mayhem
(which includes year-by-year homicide totals, organized crime, famous fires and explosions, aircraft and other disasters, political riots, and Vietnam deaths of Detroit locals.
Fun!
Sports
Rituals
Encore!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating to pick up and leaf through at random. I wish the Free Press would put out an updated edition, because there are so many great new stories and figures (KWAME) that need to be included!

Paging through this book is similar to being let loose in the Freep's clippings and photo archives - only without the dust. It's organized by topic so it's easy to skip to what interests you and it's nicely sectioned so that you can skim past an entry you don't care about.

Charming, interesting, funny and a great book for any Detroit native/fan.

[Jillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have four words for you: endless and mind-numbingly boring. Don't even think about picking this up. Trust me, there isn't anything in there about Detroit that you really need to know. Here's what you should know about Detroit: 1) Don't walk there at night after eight, 2) The Lions suck, and 3) There are actually some fun things to do in Detroit if you know where to look. There you go, the basics of Detroit laid out for you. No reason to pick this up now!

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spite of this book's most obvious handicap (it was published by the Free Press), the Detroit Almanac is one of my favorite books. You can pick it up at any point in the book and learn something new each time. It has all the info you could care about regarding the Detroit area, from the very start of its history, to current pop culture. I look forward to an updated version in the next decade.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very good overview book on Detroit and its history et al. I'm very glad I started some research with this book, as it directed me toward other sources and ideas due to my lack of history.

Now I think I'll need to have the 2006 updated edition for my own shelves, as the library always wants its copies back.

[Bjeans · Rating 4 out of 5]

i actually read this whole thing. It's a bit out-of-date though.

[Kristeeeee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for anyone living in and around Detroit, or anyone who has a slight interest in the city's ruffian origins.

[Vicki]

Hey, it looks interesting to a girl who grew up south of the great city of Detroit :)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

what fun reading about the history of Detroit!