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Search - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
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Book Description:
The 1893 Chicago World's Fair is the setting for this true account of two very different men: the celebrated architect Daniel H. Burnham who designed and supervised the construction of the "White City" around which the fair was built, and H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett), a fiendishly clever serial killer posing as a doctor who murdered scores of people, mostly young women, in his World's Fair Hotel, which contained a gas chamber and a handy crematorium for disposing of his victims. Telling their entwined stories in alternating points of view, Erik Larson illuminates the lives of these two men, but provides insightful commentary on the changes that were taking place in American society that allowed both phenomena--a grandiose World's Fair and a string of unsolved murders--to take place. The book contains cameo appearances by such late-19th-century celebrities as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.Members who requested this book also requested:
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Genres:Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged), Audio CD (Abridged), Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover
Top Member Reviews
12 member(s) found this review helpful.
I requested this book because I was intrigued by the fact that it had received 70+ essentially positive reviews! I don't think I have ever seen that before!
This was a good read. The information about the Fair was fascinating. I was glad to be spared the horrid details of the serial murders. The book was very well written, not sensationalistic and truly interesting.
I am re-listing so someone else can enoy.
9 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a great read. I had no idea the Chicago World's Fair had such a huge impact on the U.S. The crime story is amazing. Very interesting.
Kerry B. (
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
History with suspense of a murder mystery. Larson ties events surrounding early 1890's Chicago World Fair in to a non-fiction page turner. The story will remain with you long after book goes to a dusty corner of your bookshelf. Highly recommended.
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book, the descriptions of the fair made it come alive in my mind, thoroughly enjoyed the story as well.
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of the finest books I have ever read. Captivating, informative, great style .... I could go on and on....
Brandy S. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Loved this book SO much, especially since I grew up in Chicago, where some of the places in the book took place still exist! Loved that it reads like a novel, though is a true story of how the World's Fair was put on while a mad serial killer used the fair to lure his victims.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fabulous combination of historical research and fiction. I didn't know much about the Chicago's World Fair going into the story, but found myself not only drawn into an engrossing story but, surprisingly, learned a lot about our country's popular history in the process.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a TERIFIC book! It's one of the very few that my husband & I both read and both LOVED!
Ann F. from NEWTOWN, PA wrote on 8/20/2007...
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought the book seemed interesting,from the synopsis on the best sellers list - I like a good "true story". This book mixes history, with a few madmen moving in tandem through the book. Slow to get moving, but by the middle of the book - I had to know how it all ended and stayed up way too late to finish!
Valerie P. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very interesting -- a lot more detailed than I had thought it would be. I have a deeper appreciation and understanding of Chicago and the World Fair now.
Rate These Member Reviews
Fantastic account of one of the key events pushing America into the 20th century. The author blends a fascinating murder mystery/serial killer into the framework of the staging of the Columbian Exposition that makes this a book impossible to put down. Personal looks into the lives and motivation of the key players of the Exposition, as well as the mad serial killer, makes for truly compelling reading. A classic.
Jenny B. from ROSLYN, NY wrote on 8/26/2008...A great book about the Chicago World's Fair - chapters alternate between the people responsible for the Fair and a serial killer during this time.
Historical non-fiction that reads like a novel. Devil in the White City is an easy non-fiction read: hard to put down, and harder to believe the details of H.H. Holmes' crimes. Highly recommended for true crime fans willing to try something a little different.
This is a fascinating book which I highly recommend. If you are interested in history and crime, pick up this book. You won't be able to put it down.
Chicago in the late 1800's was a different world. Author Erik Larson tells the story of the fair through the story of Daniel Burnham: where the idea began, how Chicago was chosen, how the fair came together and was built so quickly. Throughout the story of the fair, he tells another story of Dr. Holmes. Holmes comes to the Chicago area and establishes a pharmacy as well as other businesses. He also builds a hotel that houses the World's fair visitors. Some of the visitors and other acquaintances disappear forever. This fascinating book was detailed and included aspects of Chicago life as well as these stories.
Really enjoyed this one. Lives up to reviews. Wish it had more photos, but than it was 1890ish. Ends a bit aburptly, but than, that's real life. Highly recommend.
A must read for trivia experts. Larson could have left out the "devil" and still had an extremely good book.
Excellent book. All the positive reviews here are well deserved.
Sarah Jane E. (My sister got me this book as a gift, and I must say I loved it! Very informative, and it definitely wasn't what I expected.