The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Language: English
19th century 1893 (1893 Architects Architects - Illinois - Chicago Biography Burnham Case studies Chicago Chicago (Ill.) Chicago (Ill.) - History - 19th century Daniel Hudson General Herman W History IL IN Illinois KS MI MN MO Midwest (IA Mudgett Murder ND NE OH SD Serial killers Serial muderers Serial murderers Serial murderers - Illinois - Chicago Serial murders Serial murders - Illinois - Chicago State & Local True Crime United States WI) World's Columbian Exposition World's Columbian exposition (
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: Feb 11, 2003
Description:
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing.