The Eckhartz Bookshelf: Chasing the Lost City

 With over 80 books in our library, this year we're taking some time every week to highlight one of the books on the Eckhartz bookshelf. This week's book is the incredibly exciting search for a lost city. TV producer Tom Weinberg wrote Chasing the Lost City, and the photographs are also spectacular.

For more than 20 years, TV producer Weinberg was obsessed with the centuries-old legend of the Lost City of the Monkey God, aka Ciudad Blanca, hidden deep in the dense Central American jungle.

The book is composed of his journals written in Honduras, more than 180 stunning photographs and the author’s personal thoughts and feelings about what became a world-famous 21st century discovery. It’s a beautiful coffee table book to be savored and revisited for many years.

The reader is brought into the world of the discoverers, complete with dangerous snakes and insects, gorgeous untouched beauty, exhilaration and a rare disease that came with the discovery of an ancient civilization.

It’s a pictorial and personal companion to the 2017 New York Times bestseller, Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston. Preston calls Weinberg “The Official Chronicler” who wrote on his laptop in the jungles of the Mosquitia. Chasing the Lost City sparkles with the insights of a first-time explorer with pithy, sometimes self-deprecating and brutally honest reflections. The compelling images, many of which are video still frames from an upcoming documentary, have been beautifully orchestrated by designer Elan Soltes.

    

 

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*On this day in 2013, the Eckhartz Press book Records Truly Is My Middle Name was named a finalist fo Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year. It was the first finalist for us (Eckhartz Press) and me (I co-authored the book with John). The photo above was taken at one of live remotes in the 90s.

*On this day in 2017, the rave reviews were coming in for Mitch Michaels' book Doin the Cruise. Here's an example...

Sep 20, 2017 Bob rated it it was amazing
A must-read for fans of radio and rock & roll music. Radio legend Mitch Michaels takes you behind the scenes of some of Chicago's most popular radio stations that were part of his remarkable career. An honest, in-depth, revealing look at the radio stations, DJ's, management, and rock stars that created the soundtrack to our lives. The memoir is very enlightening, and at times extremely funny, but also with moments that are heartbreaking. Mitch Michaels along with Ken Churilla have perhaps written the best book to date that captures the life of one of Chicago's most beloved radio personalities. A great read from start to finish.

*On this day in 2017, Tom Weinberg also held his book launch party for the book Chasing the Lost City. Here's a photo from that party at the Billy Goat on lower Michigan.

*On this day in 1994, the show Austin City Limits debuted in Austin, Texas. It is now a nationally syndicated program. The man behind that program just happens to be a big fan of Roger Badesch's Eckhartz Press book The Unplanned Life. Here's what he said about it...

• “Roger and I go back over 50 years to when he was a high school student and I was the TV Director for Evanston Township High School. Then again when I was TV Producer-Director for Southern Illinois University and Roger was an enthusiastic RTV Major. He worked on several of my shows including one with Billy Joel and one with the rock band Brownsville Station. I went on to co-create and direct PBS’ Austin City Limits, and Roger went on to become an anchor for WGN Radio News. His story is bound to be a good one!”

  Bruce Scafe, co-creator, Austin City Limits

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Happy birthday to Chicago TV legend Tom Weinberg (WTTW). Tom wrote a fascinating book for us about his search for a lost city in Central America (Honduras to be exact). The book is called Chasing the Lost City. It includes some incredible photos like these below...

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*May 4, 1970 was the Kent State Massacre. Eckhartz Press author Mitch Michaels was actually there that day, and told the story from his perspective in the pages of his book Doin the Cruise.

*Today is George Will's birthday. George is a political commentator, yes, but he's also a big Cubs fan, and an owner of a copy of EveryCubEver. (Photo)

*On this day in 2018, Eckhartz Press author Tom Weinberg (Chasing the Lost City) appeared on WTTW's Chicago Tonight. See more about that here.

*Today is novelist Jim Korkoris' birthday. Jim is a big fan of the Eckhartz Press book In Small Boxes. Here's what he said about it: At times, poignant, sad and very funny. A wonderfully unique coming of age story. We will all see pieces of ourselves and our lives in this book.

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*Today would have been Wolfman Jack's birthday. The Wolfman has the distinction of being featured in two different Eckhartz Press books. John Landecker told the story of the day he met Wolfman Jack in his book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. If you'd like to read that particular excerpt, you can read it here.

Wolfman Jack is also featured in Bob Shannon's book Turn It Up. Both books are still available at Eckhartz Press.

*Today is Len Kasper's birthday as well. Len is also featured in two Eckhartz Press books. He gets his own entry in EveryCubEver for his many years in the Cubs broadcast booth, but he gets his own chapter in the book Cubsessions, written by Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate Maxwell. In that book, Len tells the story of the Cubs 2016 World Series Championship and what it means to him. Get your copy of Cubsessions today.

*On this day in 2018, Eckhartz Press author Tom Weinberg had a book signing at the Book Stall in Winnetka. 

 A good time was had by one and all as Tom talked about his Eckhartz Press book "Chasing the Lost City"