http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG
Lilly Setterdahl
This blog is about my interests, Swedes in America, the Titanic, the Swedes on the Titanic, and my books. If you would like to comment, please do so. I give programs about the Titanic and other subjects related to my books.
Book launch

Signing books at launch of Hero of the Titanic in 2011
Swedish-American Portraits
- Home
- Bishop Hill Reframed
- Swedish-American Portraits
- Documenting America's Swedish Immigrants
- Titanic Sailing Again: An epic novel
- Swedes in Moline
- Chicago Swedes:
- Katrin, almost American
- Maiden of the Titanic
- Rockford Swedes
- Minnesota Swedes Volume I
- Growing up in Sweden
- True Immigrant Stories
- Second Love After 50
- A Century of Song
- I Emigranternas spår
- Minnesota Swedes Volume II
- A Pioneer Lutheran Ministry
- Bror Johansson's Chicago
- Hero of the Titanic
- Not my time to die
- Swedish-American Newspapers
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Until the lights come back on
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Review of Bishop Hill Reframed by Nordstjernan Oct. 15, 2021
Review of Bishop Hill Reframed by Nordstjernan publisher, Ulf Mårtensson, in the October 15, 2021 issue of Nordstjernan.
The recently
published 246-page non-fiction book, with photographs, about the history of
Bishop Hill is a fascinating read about the history of the town and its first
settlers. Written by Lilly Setterdahl and designed by Stephan Setterdahl this
book provides an overview of the history and legacy through letters by members
of the colony. It begins with a look at the principal founder, his beliefs and
escape from Sweden’s unfree society in the 1840s. It continues with letters
penned by colonists and other eyewitnesses, articles on specific subjects,
conversations with descendants, Civil War letters, and a Roster of Officers of
Men of the Company D. 57th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865.
The struggles of the short-lived colony—of surviving the first winter and the
role of and later loss of their leader—come alive through the words of those
who left to seek religious freedom in the new world.
Books are
available at the Colony Store or contact the Bishop Hill Heritage Association
at (309) 927-3899 or through
www.bishophillheritage.org.
https://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG/
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Review by Jean Larson
I just finished reading Lilly's remarkable book, filled with extensive research, actual interviews, anecdotal stories, letters, and pertinent photos!! Amazing!
I scanned through the Civil War section but read the letters written by the
servicemen.
Altogether, the history of Bishop Hill Colony was made more real, an honest
story of the life & struggles of those early immigrants from Sweden.
Now I want to go to Bishop Hill!! Jean Larson
http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG/`
Sunday, October 31, 2021
BISHOP HILL REFRAMED: VOICES FROM THE PAST, Review by Jordan Murray
BOOK REVIEW ABOUT BISHOP HILL REFRAMED BY JORDAN H. MURRAY GALVA, IL
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Until the lights come back on
“Until the lights come back on (a cyber-thriller), is an international, character-driven novel set in Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and Finland. It focuses on three brothers and their parents residing in Sweden, how they react to the attack in the cold month of October, and what they will do to survive. Set to be published by Nordstjernan förlag, New York, 2022.
http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG/
Sunday, July 11, 2021
New book about Bishop Hill
BISHOP HILL REFRAMED: VOICES FROM THE PAST
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/eB001K8FWG
Thursday, February 25, 2021
55 works in 75 publications
According to Worldcat.org this author has 55 works in 75 publications in 2 languages and 406 libraries.
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/eB001K8FWG
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Cyberattack video
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/eB001K8FWG
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/eB001K8FWG
A new manuscript for a novel
Elisabeth and the Nobleman, a historical romance
Eighteen-year-old
Elisabeth is falling for William, but when she finds out he is a nobleman and
lives in a castle, she sends him off into the sunset. Her parents would never
allow her to date him. She dates other boys but no one measures up to William.
Their complicated relationship is wrapped in secrecy, intrigue, deceit, and
erotic moments. The castle with the scary Madam looms in the background. The class distinction gets in the way of love. This romantic saga filled with drama plays
out in the 1960s, a decade of women’s liberation, the emergence of sexual
freedom, miniskirts, long hair, and rock-n-roll, all in collision with the
ethics of the past. There are no cell phones and the Internet has not been
invented. This book gives the reader a refreshing historical view of our
parents’ time and other cultures.
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/eB001K8FWG
Saturday, September 19, 2020
Swedish-American Portraits
Note that the book Swedish-American Portraits, 1972-1994: Photographed by Lennart Setterdahl and reviewed in Nordstjernan Sep. 15 2020 is available in the Bishop Hill Colony Store, Bishop Hill, Illinois, the Swedish-American Museum, Chicago, and the Vasa National Archives in Bishop Hill, Illinois
It can also be purchased from the author directly. Please message me on facebook.
Friday, August 21, 2020
Review of Swedish-American Portraits 1972-1994
by Lilly Setterdahl and Stephen Setterdahl. 2020.
Swedish migration researcher Lennart Setterdahl (1928-1995) arrived in USA in 1959
and found a Swedish-American immigrant community in transition. He became deeply
interested in that remarkable population group, and as early as 1962 began documenting it with camera and tape recorder. The results became an highly valuable source for future researchers. Lennart rescued nearly 1,855 church archives, and perhaps 1,000 organizational archives, 140 newspaper archives, and made 3,000 tape recorded interviews of immigrants, both well-known and less-known, along with their descendants. It got devoted support of the whole Setterdahl family, wife and author Lilly, and their three sons Stephan, Christer and Michael. Lilly’s editorial work with Lennart led to her own remarkable writing career, beginning in the mid-1970’s as author of many books on Swedish America, plus later fiction works of high quality. Sweden’s Emigrant Institute in Växjö became Lennart’s primary sponsor from 1969. In 1990 Lennart was awarded an honorary doctorate by Gothenburg University in Sweden in recognition of his devoted work.
Lennart died in 1995, but his work remains an important research source. His author-wife Lilly and son Stephan, (designer and photo editor) together published in 2020 Swedish-American Portraits 1972-1994: Photographed by Lennart Setterdahl, with 262 of Lennart’s remarkable photos from 20 different states, accompanied by segments of those interviews.
Both this impressive new illustrated book, and Lilly ́s welcome background story of the
Setterdahl family’s pathbreaking research, Documenting America ́s Swedish Immigrants:
Lennart Setterdahl ́s Life and Work, complement each other. They are fascinating reading, and
are available by contacting Lilly at email address: lillysetterdahl@gmail.com.
John E. Norton, ed., Augustana Historical Society Newsletter, Augustana College
http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdah/e/B001K8FWDG
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Outdoor book signing by Lilly Setterdahl
Aug. 22, 2020, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the entrance to the Steeple Building in historic Bishop Hill, Illinois.
Featured book: Swedish-American Portraits 1972-1994: Photographed by Lennart Setterdahl. Released on August 1, 2020.
Text: Lilly Setterdahl
Design: Stephan Setterdahl
High-quality hardback coffee table book, 10x12 inch. Price $29.95. Contains 262 unique images and descriptive texts.
The black and white portraits in this book show Swedish Americans as they appeared in daily life at the time they were interviewed. Their faces give a candid, honest, and genuine glimpse of hardworking individuals, most of them at retirement age. The photos were taken in 20 different states, with Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska having the largest representation. The landscapes and small post-office buildings show a disappearing small-town America.
The author has 54 works in 73 publications in 2 languages deposited in 407 libraries to her credit. This is her 19th nonfiction book about Swedish America. She is also a novelist.
Other books by the same author will be available at the signing, as for instance, Documenting America's Swedish Immigrants, which describes Lennart and Lilly Setterdahl's travels across the United States and into Canada to preserve documents and memories of the Swedish ethnic group.
See www.bishophillheritage.org for programs in the village park on the same date as the signing. Outdoor dining is available. The boutiques and the museums are open.
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Friday, July 31, 2020
Swedish-American Portraits
The portraits in this book show Swedish Americans as they appeared in daily life at the time they were interviewed by the photographer. Their faces give a candid, honest, and genuine glimpse of hardworking individuals, most of them at retirement age.
The photos were taken in 20 different states, with Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska having the largest representation. The landscapes and small post-office buildings show a disappearing small-town America.
http://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdah/e/B001K8FWDG
Friday, June 19, 2020
Book Fair in Bishop Hill
10 am until 5 pm BOOK FAIR! Readings & Workshops
5 pm - 6 pm Authors Happy Hour & Round Robin Conversation
6 pm Potluck with Community
7pm Concert with Musicians & Author
All Proceeds to Benefit a Community Orchard for Bishop Hill
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Books published
Lilly Setterdahl Books
Nonfiction:
Swedish-American Newspapers: A Guide to the microfilms held by Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center (1981)
Bror Johansson’s Chicago. Co-authored (1985)
A Pioneer Lutheran Ministry: L. P. Esbjorn and his Family in Andover, Illinois (1988)
Memories Preserved: The Inventing Bostroms and Guide to Interviews with Swedish Americans. Coauthored (1988)
Memories Preserved, Vol. II. Scandinavians in Alabama and Guide to Interviews with Swedish Americans. Coauthored. (1992)
A Century of Song: American Union of Swedish Singers 1892-1992 (1992)
Rockford Swedes: American Stories. Coauthored (1993).
Rockford Swedes: American Stories, republished, 2016 with a new cover. Also published as E-Book
Minnesota Swedes: The Emigration from Trolle Ljungby to Goodhue County 1855-1912 (1996)
Minnesota Swedes, Vol I: The Emigration from Trolle Ljungby to Goodhue County 1955-1912. Second edition revised published as a printed book and E-Book (2015)
Minnesota Swedes: Volume II: Trolle Ljungby Families in Goodhue County 1855-1912 (1999)
I Emigranternas spår: Människor vi mött, 1959-1995. (In Swedish, 2002)
Swedes in Moline, Illinois: 1847-2002 (2003).
Growing up in Sweden: In the Shadow of World War II (2008). Also, as E-Book, 2015
Chicago Swedes: They spoke from the heart (2010). Also, as E-Book, 2016
Not my time to die: Titanic and the Swedes on board (2012)
True Immigrant Stories. The Swedes of Cleveland, Ohio 1873-2013 (2014)
Documenting America’s Swedish Immigrants: Lennart Setterdahl’s Life and Work, 2019.
Fiction:
Maiden of the Titanic (2007) out-of-print. Republished as E-book.
Hero of the Titanic (2011) Sequel to Maiden of the Titanic. Republished as E-book.
Second Love After 50 (Paper, 2015). E-book, 2016.
Katrin, almost American, a Swedish-American Immigration Novel (2017)
Titanic Sailing Again, an epic novel, sequel to Hero of the Titanic. (Short stories), 2019.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Titanic Talk with Titanic Tea
Midwest Writing Center, Rock Island, Public Library, 401 19th Street, Rock Island, IL. Ground Floor.
Lilly Setterdahl, local author, will talk about the world's most famous ship, Titanic, that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, and read from her book, Titanic Sailing Again, published in 2019. Refreshments will be served with Titanic-inspired treats. Titanic attire encouraged. A native of Sweden, Lilly Setterdahl has authored 23 books with four of them being about the Titanic. She will offer book for sale and autograph them. Free and open to the public.
CANCELLED DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Titanic Sailing Again Review
Titanic Sailing Again a book review
Anyone who has been following author and Vasa member Lilly Setterdahl may know she released a new “Titanic” book this year. Titled “Titanic Sailing Again” the novel portrays many of the passengers as offspring of the survivors of the original Titanic, the ship that so devastatingly sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.
As the original passenger list included many Swedes or Scandinavians, so did the list for this voyage as well. It is a great read, easy to follow, and interesting as it took generation after generation to form connections in their lives and as current passengers. The passenger list included several generations of the same families, intertwining and enjoying the trip together. It takes you back to the timeframe of 1912 on the first leg of the trip, then a bit more relaxed, but still with passengers in classes I, II or III. There is romance aboard, and young couples and not-so-young couples find love with partners that had ancestors surviving the tragedy. There were also some interesting surprises along the trip—courtesy and good manners, fancy dances, elaborate meals, as well as storms or other threats. In true Setterdahl fashion, the characters and their surroundings are described in a way that make you feel you know the people and can relate to them, or have been to their hometowns.
I found this book so well written that I had to google to see if in fact it was a true story. I had heard there was a Titanic II to be built but didn’t think it was ready yet, and yes, in fact, it won’t be ready to sail until 2022. So, while it’s a fictional story at this point, it’s still a possible reality in a few years. I’m wondering if Lilly is planning on being a passenger on the maiden voyage of Titanic II….
Reviewed by Liza Ekstrand
Titanic Sailing Again,6x9,” softcover
Available at Amazon or through Nordstjernan.
Nordstjernan/The Vasa Star, Vol. 147, No. 17, December 01, 2019.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Documenting America's Swedish Immigrants: The Life and Work of Lennart Setterdahl
This biography is published by Swedish American Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
website: SAMAC.org.
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG
Synopsis
The Swedish immigration to the United States began in earnest in the 1840s and ebbed out in the 1930s when about one million Swedes had arrived in search of better opportunities. This book highlights 35 years of travels in North America to microfilm historical records and tape personal memories of Swedish immigrants and their descendants, an accomplishment which has greatly benefited genealogical researchers.
Read about the man behind this unprecedented effort, Lennart Setterdahl, and his family. It begins in 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio, and the voluntary recording of interviews in the 1960s in northeastern Ohio and the western parts of Pennsylvania and New York. The story continues in 1969 when Mr. Setterdahl was engaged by the Swedish Emigrant Institute, Växjö, Sweden, to locate, inventory, and microfilm Swedish-American church records, a project which was later expanded to include secular societies, periodicals, not-for-profit organizations, and companies founded by Swedes, newspaper holdings, as well as private collections. The work necessitated travels by car through every state in the continental United States and some Canadian provinces. From 1971, the Setterdahl home base was East Moline, Illinois. During the years 1985-1994, Mr. Setterdahl devoted his time to recording oral history. The story ends with Mr. and Mrs. Setterdahl working on a project in Sydney, Australia, in the beginning of 1995.
The author presents a colorful story of the first-hand travel experiences, tribulations, and rewards connected with the work, placing it in a geographical and historical context. Of the thousands of Swedish Americans whom the Setterdahls met during their travels, the author sketches vignettes of more than one hundred individuals. But perhaps foremost, the book is the story of the author's own immigrant family that constantly had to adjust and pull together to achieve extraordinary results.
www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDGhttps://www.amazon.com/Lilly-Setterdahl/e/B001K8FWDG