There is a new book out by one of the McDonnell/Boeing execs. It is an interesting account of how a St. Louis guy joined McDonnell twenty five years ago, and subsequently sold a quarter trillion dollars worth of helicopters, missiles, and airplanes. He seems to attribute his success to St. Louis values, including amateur boxing: Gunn Sights by Tom Gunn.
I just started and am really enjoying Lion of the Valley which has been talked about on this forum numerous times. The vast amount of information makes it a great read for anyone even remotely interested in STL (available at MO History Museum).
Here are a few of my favorite tomes about my home...
St. Louis Plans: The Real and Ideal St. Louis
St. Louis: Landmarks and Historic Districts
A Guide to the Architecture of St. Louis (the edition I have is almost 20 years old, but it is still a great resource)
Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis: A Sentimental Journey (This is perhaps my favorite St. Louis book of all, and while there's some text with interesting information about streetcars and their routes, the real gems are the hundreds of photos of St. Louis in all of its urban glory, leading up to the demise of the St. Louis streetcar system in 1966.)
At $20 each, local books from the Images of America series provide a glimpse into the past of many city neighborhoods and outlying communities. There are several titles available- here are the ones I have:
Carondelet
Central West End
Downtown St. Louis
Historic North St. Louis
Route 66 in St. Louis
There are probably at least a dozen more- including some focusing on suburbs like University City, Brentwood, Kinloch, Florissant, and Ballwin.
There's a great new book called "Generation St. Louis" that is a wonderful look back on bygone events, characters and neighborhoods of the city from the '50-'70s. The pictures are amazing-- any city enthusiast would love it. Here's the info: