Combining the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko became a Chicago institution - in Jimmy Breslin's words, 'the best journalist of his time'. "Early Royko: Up Against It in Chicago" will restore to print the legendary columnist's first writings, which chronicle 1960s Chicago with the moral vision, ironic sense, and razor-sharp voice that would remain Royko's trademark. This collection of early columns from the "Chicago Daily News" ranges from witty social commentary to politically astute satire. Some of the pieces are falling-down funny and others are tenderly nostalgic, but all display Royko's unrivaled skill at using humor to tell truth to power. From machine politicians and gangsters to professional athletes, from well-heeled Chicagoans to down-and-out hoodlums, no one escapes Royko's penetrating gaze - and resounding judgment. "Early Royko" features a memorable collection of characters, including such well-known figures as Hugh Hefner, Mayor Richard J. Daley, and Dr. Martin Luther King. But these boldfaced names are juxtaposed with Royko's beloved lesser-knowns from the streets of Chicago: Mrs. Peak, Sylvester 'Two-Gun Pete' Washington, and Fats Boylermaker, who gained fame for leaning against a corner light pole from 2 a.m. Saturday until noon Sunday, when his neighborhood tavern reopened for business. Accompanied by a foreword from Rick Kogan, this new edition will delight Royko's most ardent fans and capture the hearts of a new generation of readers. As Kogan writes, "Early Royko" 'will remind us how a remarkable relationship began - Chicago and Royko, Royko and Chicago - and how it endures'.

"Full of astonishments, and the greatest of these is Royko's technical mastery as a writer." - Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker "Royko was one of the most respected and admired people in the business, by readers and colleagues alike.... Savor his work while you can." - Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World"

Mike Royko (1932-97) worked as a daily columnist for the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Chicago Tribune. His Pulitzer Prize-winning columns were syndicated in more than six hundred newspapers across the country. He is the author of Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago, One More Time: The Best of Mike Royko, and For the Love of Mike: More of the Best of Mike Royko, the latter two published by the University of Chicago Press.