Chicago's Only Castle

Errol Magidson, Linda Lamberty

$167.95 $134.64

Hardback

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English

Errol Magidson Productions, LLC
30 July 2023

"The Castle, located in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago at 10244 S. Longwood Drive, was built in 1886 and 1887. It looks like a real medieval castle. If you love seeing historic images of Chicago and reading about Chicago's history from the late 1860s on, this hardback, in premium color with over 500 images, is for you, and this second edition is 75 pages longer than the first.

Chicago's Only Castle regales its reader with the history of a treasure buried on Chicago's far Southwest Side of which few people beyond the neighborhood seem to be aware. The compelling stories of the five keepers of the Castle unfold against the backdrop of, and directly connect to, Chicago's rich history, including the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the cable-car era, the dawn of the automobile, the Century of Progress International Exposition of 1933-34, and myriad little-known details about Chicago's past. The inspiration behind the building, and its first occupant, was Robert Cartwright Givins, a Renaissance man of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who immigrated from Canada and whose grandfather was a celebrated colonel there in the War of 1812. Givins, noted for his always-clever real estate promotions, was a well-known Chicago personality; a developer active across the City, Cook County, and other places in the United States; a popular novelist of his day; a vocal citizens' advocate; and, together with wife Emma, a globetrotter whose travel reviews were published in the Chicago Evening Post. He was at one time announced in local papers as a candidate for mayor of Chicago.

In addition to Givins, Julia Thayer, president of the Chicago Female College that was housed in the Castle, the Burdett family, the Siemens family, and Beverly Unitarian Church have been ""keepers"" of the Castle, and their dynamic stories are told in the book, as well."

By: Errol Magidson
Edited by: Linda Lamberty
Imprint: Errol Magidson Productions, LLC
Edition: 2nd Chicago's Only Castle ed.
Dimensions: Height: 279mm, Width: 216mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 1.456kg
ISBN: 9780578273228
ISBN 10: 0578273225
Pages: 364
Publication Date: 30 July 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Born in Chicago, Errol Magidson has loved Chicago's rich history, especially after seeing old photos of the city and its people at the Berghoff Restaurant many years ago and at the Chicago History Museum. When Errol visited the Beverly area of Chicago in 1977 to look for a place to live, he saw the Castle for the first time and knew that was the community in which to live and raise a family. Errol received his Doctorate in Education from Nova University, a Master of Arts in Teaching Social Science from Antioch Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Indiana University. He was Distinguished Professor of social science and psychology at the City Colleges of Chicago, and he also taught psychology courses at Roosevelt University and Saint Xavier University in Chicago. The students at Daley College, one of the City Colleges, gave him the Outstanding Teacher Award (1998). He gave an invited presentation on the first edition of ""Chicago's Only Castle"" at the Newberry Library (2017). He was interviewed about the book by journalist Rick Kogan on his ""After Hours"" program on WGN radio (2017). Errol produced, co-directed, narrated and wrote the script for the documentary on ""Chicago's Only Castle"" (2011) which was shown on PBS. He served as an archival researcher for ""A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps"" (2019). He gave workshops to college faculty on ""Developing and Using Effective PowerPoint Presentations in the Classroom"" and to school faculty on teaching their students how to use the computer to develop documentaries. Errol was guest editor of a special edition of Educational Technology devoted to ""Trends in Computer-Assisted Instruction"" (1978). He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Institute of African Studies at Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone, West Africa (1965-67). Errol lives with wife Nancy Magidson in Northbrook, Illinois. They both enjoy being with family and friends. They like to play golf, pickleball and bridge. Errol plays senior softball, too."

Reviews for Chicago's Only Castle

"""A thing of beauty is a joy forever."" Thus begins John Keats' epic poem ENDYMION, and though Keats composed the line some 200 years ago, the sentiment it intones has resonated down the corridors of time. The Givins Castle, a fascinating icon of the Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood in Chicago, is one of the most significant ""things of beauty"" in a city which comprises many thousands of beautiful ""objects."" The Castle, as it is frequently called, was built shortly after Keats' poem was published, and the longevity of the Castle attests not only to its inherent ""wonderment"" but also to its prominent position on the world's ""stage."" Paralleling the acclaim of the Castle is the brilliance of the man whose lifelong passion has been to research in illuminating detail the myriad ""stories"" housed not only within the building's physical structure itself but also those stories which have emanated from the relationships which the Castle's keepers and guardians have established with the neighbors and world-class historians who have been inspired by the ""being"" of this lovely edifice. That man, of course, is Errol Magidson. -- Elliott Krick, teacher in The Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults, University of Chicago Elliott Krick also wrote a review of the first edition: ""Both the documentary film and now this wonderful book reflect the ineluctable 'pulse' which vibrates through the time continuum which we call 'history, ' but adds in quite a pivotal way to our understanding of how history and psychology serve to buttress our understanding of the true breadth of ourselves-past, present and future."" Grace Kuikman on the second edition in ""The Villager"" ""Although only six years have passed since author Errol Magidson published ""Chicago's Only Castle,"" the recently released second edition offers interesting and informative updates that kept me reading long into the night. From the prologue to the final chapter, Magidson's fluid writing style, personal passion for the Castle, and deft handling of a considerable amount of historical information make this book wonderfully readable."" Carol Flynn on the second edition in ""The Beverly Review"" ""The second edition is also visually appealing, full of images and color photos. The cover design and front and back cover photos by Jiyoung Choi are worthy of the best ""coffee table"" books, making this a work that readers will not want to hide on a shelf but leave out in full view. However, the content is more in-depth than is a typical coffee-table book, which will spur study and conversation as well as promote the community."""