An account of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 relates the stories of two men who shaped the history of the event–architect Daniel H. Burnham, who coordinated its construction, and serial killer Herman Mudgett.
The Devil in the White City
By eriklarson
It was an excellent history – not only of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but also of of (probably) the country’s first serial killer – H.H. Holmes. Very readable.
The book outlined the history of the Chicago Worlds Fair while providing insight to the mind and environment where one of America’s worst serial killers stalked his victims. Fascinating read and shows how America wasn’t ready for the depravity of H H Holmes.
The true story of madness and murder juxtaposed against the glory that was the 1898 Chicago world Fair. Written in the style of a novel, Larson details the grubby and dark side of turn of the century Chicago. On the other side he shows the excitement and enchantment of the Fair which changed the city forever. How the two worlds are interwoven will …
Loved this exciting nonfiction story. Could not put it down.
There are few books I call a favorite, but this is in the top two. I read about 15 plus books a month. It is extremely worth your while to read.
The two stories – the making of the first great Worlds Fair, and the evil of Dr. H. H. Holmes – who constructed a building near the fair with the sole intent of murdering young women.. the stories intertwine and make for fascinating reading. Recommended.
The parallel stories of the World Fair in Chicago and a serial killer is remarkable. Larson is quite adept at weaving bits of information, rather dry normally, into a suspenseful deviation. I thought this was a non-fiction book but found it in the fiction shelf in my library. The style too is unconventional. It reads like fiction but is not.
A twofer. This book provided information about an important American cultural event, and made me understand the excitement of attending the historic Exposition. It also told the dark story of a serial killer who took advantage of the Expo’s attraction to facilitate his evil crimes.
Grew up in St. Louis and was raised on tales of the World’s Fair held there, so Devil in the White City about Chicago’s World’s Fair was fascinating. Looking at this history while following a great story made it a great read!
Very interesting, true story.
This book was a re-read for me. I am a native Chicagoan whose great grandparents attended the Chicago Colombian Exposition in 1893, so the book had a special attraction for me. In fact, I purchased three additional copies as birthday gifts. As they say, “you can’t make this stuff up.”
Fascinating juxtaposition between architecture devised for pleasure and a building devised for pure evil. Unforgettable characters, fascinating history.
Fascinating book about the Chicago World’s Fair. Erik Larson is one of my favorite authors. He writes histories as great stories. My favorite of his is Isaac’s Storm, about the Galveston hurricane of 1900. If you haven’t read it, you should.
Highly recommend this title … writer doesn’t write boring ole history but a fascinating interwoven non-fiction story … it was my introduction to H H Holmes … the building of the Worlds Fair was equally as intriguing the murder castle … wicked good book and reader
It is an astounding historical thriller of incredible research which describes the architecture of many of Chicago’s famous buildings amidst one of the best true crime stories I’ve read. I had relatives who visited the World’s Fair so it was particularly interesting to me. I’ve read it twice. If you enjoy scary true crime, this is IT!!!
One of the best books of its kind I have ever read. It delves into the dark recesses of a serial killer juxtaposed with the story of the Chicago World’s Fair.
Chilling and yet inspiring tale of Chigago worlds fair and the men and women who pulled it together and the sinister serial killer who operated in its shadows.
While visiting a friend on the east coast, I had ‘minutes’ of downtime. Picked this book out of his library and was introduced to the skillful writing and impeccable research of Erik Larson. Minutes turned into hours, hours into days, for I could not put the book down. Years later, I purchased the book for my library, and continue to enjoy it …
This is a fabulous tale -two stories happening simultaneously at the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Don’t miss this-you will love it!
Like all of his books, this does not disappoint! The imagery is perfect.