“The first part is devoted to a history of Chicago, its inception and growth. Statistics of the city in 1870 show its condition prior to the fire. The latter half of the book gives an account of the conflagration of 1872, made up largely of the descriptions of eye-witnesses and from newspaper reports. The story of the relief sent to the city widens the interest of the book, although the whole has now become an incident.” – Literature of American History; a bibliographical guide (1902)