Award-winning Books

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 "It is no secret that world's fairs exerted a powerful influence on architectural styles and building techniques. What is less well known is that these spectacles of modernity had an equally powerful impact on the way Americans thought about landscapes and gardens. World's Fair Gardens is an original work that foregrounds an important and long-neglected subject."(Robert W. Rydell, Montana State University)

"Very well produced with a sophisticated design," notes W. Gary Smith [award winning author, artist and landscape architect] of this book, which offers a unique view of garden history through the lens of nine U.S. world’s fairs. It chronicles each event’s "impact on not only the landscaping and city planning of the host city but also on national gardening practices and landscapes," says Brandy Kuhl. "It’s a must-read for those interested in the history of American landscape design."(American Horticultural Society website)  

Awarded 2013 American Horticultural Society Book Award

“Buying a residence with this lineage could daunt anybody remotely familiar with even one of these legends, but Maloney . . . meets the challenge with a refreshing blend of respect and can-do spirit.”

—Renee Enna, Chicago Tribune

“The charming volume—part personal essay and part history lesson—is like a scrapbook overflowing with antique photos, vintage blueprints, and the author’s own homegrown snapshots.”

—Bridget Herman, Chicago Home + Garden

“Cathy Maloney’s detailed account of her home’s history is unique in its inclusion of landscape design. Too often historic home research ends at the threshold. Frank Lloyd Wright fans may be surprised to learn how much Jens Jensen really contributed to the lore of the Avery Coonley estate—truly a Midwest icon!”

—Scott Mehaffey, Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects

​“Chicago Gardens captures many of the fascinating stories and names associated with Chicago’s first hundred years of horticulture. From the boasting by its founders in 1833 that Chicago would be an ‘urbs in horto’ (or ‘city in a garden’) to the aftermath of the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933–34, Chicago Gardens traces Chicago’s coming of age as a center of horticulture, gardening and conservation.”

—Robert E. Grese, Director, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum

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“A new book on historic gardens in one city offers plenty of lessons for what makes a beautiful landscape. It’s Chicago Gardens: The Early History, by Cathy Jean Maloney. Of particular interest to planners will be the case studies of landscapes.”

—Harold Henderson, Planning

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"As well as wonderful vignettes, Chicago Gardens is filled with beautiful illustrations. . . . It is a delightful book."—Ann Durkin Keating, Chicago History Examiner

Awarded Illinois State Historical Society Book Award

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 Originally formed in 1908, as an outgrowth of the Playground Association of Chicago, the Prairie Club was incorporated as a separate entity in 1911. Embodying the typical reform mentality of the Progressive era, the club emphasized outdoor recreation and preservation, and sponsored walking trips around Chicago's countryside. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs are the footsteps of the Prairie Club as they built a constituency for exploring and preserving the forests and fields surrounding the Windy City.

 Members sponsored hikes and outdoor activities from Palos and Tinley, through Hinsdale and Downers Grove, and up to the North Shore. With each of these walks, public support grew for what ultimately became victorious efforts to establish the forest preserves, Indiana Dunes, and other nature spots around the burgeoning cityscape.

"The Chicago Botanic Garden is living proof of how a public-private partnership on the Chicago model can produce a world-class asset…The Chicago Horticultural Society and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County are the heroes of this remarkable unfolding story.”

--Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum 

(Southern University Press:  December, 2024) Frederick Law Olmsted and partner, Calvert Vaux, created a pioneering masterpiece of suburban design in Riverside, Illinois. Read about the challenges of preserving this National Historic Landmark for 150 years.  These challenges face every community with history, progress, and nature.

 Olmsted's Riverside (siupress.com)