By Patrick F. Cannon

I may have mentioned one or more of my books in this space from time to time, but I thought I would indulge in a little shameless self-promotion today. I’ve listed just my most recent ones, which are all about Chicago architecture or architects. None of them would have been possible without the photographs of my partner James Caulfield, one of America’s greatest architectural photographers.

            Because he spent the first 20 years of his career in the Chicago area, Frank Lloyd Wright is a persistent presence in our books. Our most recent is Robie House: A Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece. It was published by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust and is being distributed by the University of Minnesota Press. ($34.95, 130 pages) Located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Robie is one of the eight Wright buildings named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. It is open for tours (www.flwright.org). Here are four more of our books:

            Louis Sullivan: An American Architect. Published by the Glessner House Museum; distributed by the University of Minnesota Press. ($49.95, 288 pages). Sullivan was one of the greatest of all American architects, and it can fairly be said that Frank Lloyd Wright, his employee from 1888-1893, learned to be an architect while working with Adler & Sullivan. Sullivan is widely regarded as the father of the American skyscraper.  

Frank Lloys Wright’s Unity Temple: A Good Time Place Reborn. Published by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation; distributed by the University of Wisconsin Press. ($34.95, 120 pages). This is the other Wright World Heritage Site in the Chcaago area. Dedicated in 1908, it was the first modernist religious building in the world. It is also open for tours (www.flwright.org).

            At Home in Chicago: A History of Domestic Architecture. Published by City Files Press, Chicago. ($65.00, 364 pages). From the oldest surviving houses to some of the very newest, this is a visual survey of how people have housed themselves in Chicagoland.

            The Space Within: Inside Great Chicago Buildings. Published by Pomegranate Communications. ($65.00, 320 pages). For the first time in many cases, this book takes you inside many of the Chicago area’s landmark buildings.

            Except for the Robie book, which received a Bronze Medal, all were Gold Medal Winners at the Independent Publisher Book Awards. They also have in common that they were funded by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, which does so much to support the arts in the Chicago area. You may be familiar with the Driehaus Museum in Chicago, which contains a rich collection of furniture and decorative arts.

            Jim Caulfield and I have now started work on a new book, Chicago by Wright, which will document all the existing Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in the Chicago area. There are nearly 100, making it the largest concentration of the architect’s buildings in the world. It  is being published by the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy and, once again, is made possible by a grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. It should be out in the spring of 2028.

            All our books are available from the usual online booksellers. But even if they don’t  stock them, your favorite local bricks and mortar bookstore should be able to get copies to you in a few days. If you have one, I urge you to support it. But of course, you can probably get a copy of  one or more of them from your local library. If they don’t have a copy, hey can usually get one through their local interlibrary loan system. If it’s listed in their catalog, they can get it for you.

Copyright 2026, Patrick F. Cannon