The illustrations were particularly popular between the end of the Civil War and 1900. Virtually every major American city, and a large number of small villages with large aspirations, is portrayed in a bird's-eye view. Between 1838 and 1910, at least 196 bird's-eye views were drawn of Michigan communities, the first being of Detroit and the last being done of the village of Saranac, located near Grand Rapids. The Clarke Library holds over seventy of these Michigan views, more than any other institution except for the Library of Congress. Over the years the library has attempted to collect comprehensively works of authors who either lived in Michigan or have written about Michigan.
Books written by Michigan authors run the gamut from the serious to frivolous.
The range of this material makes finding typical examples of this wonderful collection very difficult, but one author the staff often is asked about is Della Thompson Lutes, whose books and personal papers are found in the library. Born in 1872, Della Thompson grew up near Jackson, Michigan. After several years of teaching in rural schools near Jackson, she accepted a teaching position in Detroit, and there married. While in Detroit, Lutes began to write articles for magazines. In 1905 she published her first article and in 1907 she joined the editorial staff of a magazine.