Stead, William T. If Christ Came to Chicago. 1894.

Stead, William T. If Christ Came to Chicago. Chicago: Laird & Lee, 1894. Pictorial wraps. Frontispiece. 8vo. With folding acid-free clamshell. Wraps considerably rubbed and some page edges chipped, but overall very good for an ephemeral title of this nature printed on cheap, acidic paper. A treatise on graft and vice in the city of Chicago, the book’s cover shows playing cards cascading to the floor as Jesus vanquishes corrupt gamblers and politicians with a wave of his hand. An entire chapter of the book is devoted to the “gambling hells” of Chicago.