ABOUT

ABOUT the publisher:

World-Class Chicago Publishing LLC was founded in 2013 to publish and distribute the books in the Quest for World-Class series and to acquire and redistribute historical artifacts of Chicago popular culture.

ABOUT the author, Edward Sharp, of the Quest Series: Chicago’s Visual Arts, Chicago’s Music Industry, Chicago’s Theater Industry, Chicago’s Motion Picture Production History, Chicago’s Radio & TV Industry, Chicago’s Literary Publishing and Chicago’s Magazine Publishing:

Edward Sharp is a born and raised Chicagoan. His first book, The Old House Handbook, a guide to buying and renovating an older house in Chicago was published in 1979. A short, very short biography, in his own words follows:

“I was born on the Southside of Chicago as an unwilling pioneer of the baby boom generation. Like most young Chicagoans, I liked nothing more than playing in dirty bathwater. Unfortunately, I fell victim to being thrown out with the bathwater. The experience left me with a lifelong fear of metaphors and an inability to smile for the camera. And worse yet, the curmudgeons at the Motor Vehicle Department claimed this was not a sufficient enough disability to warrant special license for all those premium parking spaces near the church or the Hooters as the case may be.

“The family moved from Chicago to the slums of Downers Grove because my dad claimed he could never find a parking space in Chicago. There was plenty of parking in Downers Grove but no alleys so you had to pile your garbage on the front lawn once a week. Gangs of Young Republicans terrorized anyone not wearing an “I like Ike” button but at least we didn’t live in Westmont. At Downers Grove High I realized recognition for achievement in a history contest. In college I pursued a degree in Engineering because it offered a more favorable career path than other programs that were more interesting.

“After a career working in manufacturing engineering with generally boring or unlikable people, I began to research the reasons why many Chicagoans seem to believe their city does not perform to its potential in the various fields of popular culture. The result is the Quest for World-Class series of books that provides a historical analysis and explanation for why Chicago never became the city it thought it would be.”