1972; signed by Lois Wille inside front; Henry Regnery Company publishers; hardbound in slipcase; b/w glossy photos; map endpapers; very good condition of book and slipcase.
 
description -
"This book is number 220 of a limited edition of two hundred fifty copies, printed for the one hundredth anniversary of the Montgomery Ward and Co."
 
"The Historic Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront".  Of the thirty miles of Lake Michigan shoreline within the city limits of Chicago, twenty-four miles is public park land. The crown jewels of its park system, the lakefront parks bewitch natives and visitors alike with their brisk winds, shady trees, sandy beaches, and rolling waves. Like most good things, the protection of the lakefront parks didn't come easy, and this book chronicles the hard-fought and never-ending battles Chicago citizens have waged to keep them "forever open, clear, and free."Illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, Wille's book tells how Chicago's lakefront has survived a century of development. The story serves as a warning to anyone who thinks the struggle for the lakefront is over, or who takes for granted the beauty of its public beaches and parks.