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
I’ve read the book and listened to the Audio CD (on a long road trip w/ someone who had not read the book). I was fascinated by the history of the World’s Fair and the inventions that came out of it. I was surprised to learn about the serial killer. A great historical book.
One of the best books I’ve read.
Amazing what was accomplished with none of the technology we take for granted today.
Great read by a great writer.
Growing up in Chicago this is a story I never heard before. Fascinating, sad and very evil.
I love the way this author writes so that you can tell what is historical versus fictional. I found it fascinating and did not want to stop reading.
Certainly a different take on the Chicago Worlds Fair. The story line is very dark and scary. I wouldn’t read it at bedtime!
One of the best books I’ve ever read. Recommend it to everyone.
Terrific combination of fiction and non fiction
Anything by this author is a great read.
This novel is well-researched and is based on two very real series of events taking place simultaneously in the city of Chicago – the 1893 World’s Fair and the doings of a serial killer. It was very interesting to learn about how the fairgrounds were developed and the buildings built. And it was horrifying to learn of the serial murders that …
Amazing book that still haunts me years later
One of the best books that I have ever read. Larsen is a fantastic author, weaving two dissimilar, yet connected stories into a fascinating read.
Erik Larson is one of my all time favorite authors. I have read every single one of his books and find them fascinating. I love the fact that they are true stories and he writes them so that they read like a novel. So many facts given in such an interesting way. I have trouble putting them down once I start reading them.
My one request is that …
Even though I found the chapters on the World Fair more difficult to get through, I’m glad to know that bit of US history. It came in handy in a recent conversation.
Well written. Extremely scary. Shows how demented people can be
Non fiction. Very informative. I enjoyed the description of the era.
Everybody else liked, I found it mostly boring.
Well written, but the story was horrible.
Don’t read if you don’t like to be scared.
I had never heard of this evil man before, it was a fascinating story, the time period simply added to the overall eeriness. The fact it was true and over several states was amazing. For me, this story was as appalling as London’s Jack the Ripper.