With more than 1,800 entries, The Encyclopedia of Louisville is the ultimate reference for Kentucky’s largest city.

For more than 125 years, the world's attention has turned to Louisville for the annual running of the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Louisville Slugger bats still reign supreme in major league baseball. The city was also the birthplace of the famed Hot Brown and Benedictine spread, and the cheeseburger made its debut at Kaelin's Restaurant on Newburg Road in 1934. The "Happy Birthday" had its origins in the Louisville kindergarten class of sisters Mildred Jane Hill and Patty Smith Hill.

Named for King Louis XVI of France in appreciation for his assistance during the Revolutionary War, Louisville was founded by George Rogers Clark in 1778. The city has been home to a number of men and women who changed the face of American history. President Zachary Taylor was reared in surrounding Jefferson County, and two U.S. Supreme Court Justices were from the city proper. Second Lt. F. Scott Fitzgerald, stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor during World War I, frequented the bar in the famous Seelbach Hotel, immortalized in The Great Gatsby. Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville and won six Golden Gloves tournaments in Kentucky.

John E. Kleber, emeritus professor of history at Morehead State University and a Louisville native, also edited The Kentucky Encyclopedia and Thomas D. Clark of Kentucky.

Reviews:

Named one of the Best Reference Books of 200 by Library Journal

"An absolute must for anyone interested in Kentucky, regional, or urban history."-James C. Klotter

"Should serve as a model for city encyclopedias to follow."-Lexington Herald-Leader

"Scholars and laypersons alike will sing the praises of this encyclopedia. . . . Will entertain, instruct, and inspire generations to come."-Louisville Courier-Journal

"Louisville has recently made its third attempt in two years to lure an NBA franchise to the Falls of the Ohio, ostensibly to establish itself as a ‘major league city.’ Yet the majority of burgs with NBA teams cannot boast of a reference source in the same league with The Encyclopedia of Louisville."-Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"More than 1,800 entries, touching on everything from the Hot Brown to Muhammad Ali, from Kaelin's claim that it is the birthplace of the cheeseburger to the turning of the first Louisville Slugger baseball bat."-Kentucky Monthly

"Packed with information on practically anything one would want to know about the city, Jefferson County, four adjacent counties in Kentucky, and four across the river in Indiana."-Bowling Green Daily News

"Many facts and firsts are packed into more than 1,800 entries referencing Louisville's history."-Kentucky Living

"Has been eagerly anticipated since its inception four years ago, and its appearance has lived up to every expectation. . . . Will be a major reference source for any Kentucky library."-Kentucky Libraries

"This book deserves the many accolades it has and will receive."-Filson History Quarterly

"Serves as an excellent companion to Kleber's Kentucky Encyclopedia and is highly recommended for libraries in Kentucky and adjoining states."-American Reference Book Annual