Fantastic book!

I have always been deeply fascinated by the Colombian Exhibition. The way the author weaves in the story of the fair into a gripping serial killer case is truly fascinating.

The description of the exhibition is so vivid that it makes me feel as if I am actually there, experiencing the excitement and wonder of it all.

The serial killer case, on the other hand, adds a thrilling and suspenseful element to the story.

I find myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eager to know what will happen next.

The characters are well-developed and the plot is engaging, making it a page-turner from start to finish.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or historical fiction.

It is a truly remarkable piece of work that will leave you wanting more.

The architect Daniel Hudson Burnham was in charge of directing the construction of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

The neoclassical buildings underwent a remarkable transformation into a White City when they were spray painted white and illuminated by a staggering 200,000 incandescent bulbs.

Burnham utilized the skills of the nation's top architects and enlisted the work of Frederick Law Olmstead for the landscape in creating this magnificent World's Fair.

Geroge Washington Gale Ferris developed the first "Ferris Wheel", a colossal wheel capable of carrying 2,160 people at a time into the Chicago sky, offering a breathtaking view of the fair and Lake Michigan.

In stark contrast to the beauty of the White City, a psychopath was constructing the World's Fair Hotel in the vicinity.

This hotel was equipped with soundproof rooms featuring gas lines, a hidden chute leading to a dissection area in the basement, and a coffin-sized kiln.

Herman Webster Mudgett, who adopted the alias Dr H.H. Holmes in honor of the detective Sherlock Holmes, was a handsome and charming man who lured his victims to the hotel.

He often employed them in his pharmacy downstairs. Most of his victims were beautiful women traveling alone from small towns, seeking excitement and employment in the big city.

Another contrast to the magical quality of the White City was the economic downturn during that period. After the fair closed, thousands of people were left homeless and unemployed on the streets of Chicago.

This well-written non-fiction book reads like a novel. Larson has a knack for ending his chapters on a note of suspense. Amid the numerous setbacks in the building of the fair and the horrible events involving Holmes, the story always has something happening to maintain my interest. A movie is currently in the planning stages, with Leonardo Di Caprio set to play Dr H.H. Holmes, directed by Martin Scorsese.

A wonderful book, which I had overlooked for many years. I mistakenly believed it was a postmodern novel, rather than a history with some fictional elements. In fact, the author, Larson, acknowledges Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD as a stylistic influence in setting the mood and relating events.

DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY combines two opposing forces. The first part, or the "white" part, consists of the planners and builders, architects and designers. They lobbied Congress to build the first American world's fair in Chicago in 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition, and make it as outstanding as the Paris exposition a few years earlier. Although largely forgotten, this was not only the USA's first world's fair but also gave us Cracker Jack, Shredded Wheat, "exotic" dancers, and the Ferris Wheel.

The second part, or the "black" part, is the non-temporary, aspiring, polluted, corrupt, and highly productive remainder of Chicago. The leader of the "black" forces is a man named Holmes, under whose influence impressionable young women and hastily married widows disappeared, along with numerous children. Holmes was not officially part of the Columbian Exposition planning, but he and his minions interacted with the fair enough that Larson doesn't have to resort to contrivance.

There's also a minor figure, Mr. Prendergast, who believes he deserves more than he has earned. His ludicrous mindset provides comic relief until the evil he perpetuates can no longer be ignored.

DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY is one of the most "compulsively readable" books I've read. Even the details of fair planning and the squabbles among architects are engaging. The many characters, both major and minor, are vividly drawn and have enough plot motivation to carry a fictional novel or two. However, I didn't care for the lack of photos in the book.

Those who want a visual representation of the fair can find it in LOST CHICAGO.

This is a rather famous book, yet it wasn't really on my radar before. However, as of late, I was listening to my favorite podcast, Lore. There was an episode about this story, specifically about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and H. H. Holmes, the murderer who exploited the venue to attract vulnerable victims. It truly fascinated me and immediately reminded me of this book that I had heard of. So, I decided to check it out, and I'm extremely glad that I did. This is most definitely one of my favorite reads of 2015.

Now, I'm well aware that this book won't appeal to everyone. If you don't find the politics and construction of the fair interesting, then you probably won't like nearly half of this book. But the historical aspects, along with the drama and intrigue surrounding the fair's regulations, development, and questionable success, were truly captivating. Moreover, there are so many things that we have today - inventions, historical figures, songs, and other works of art - that gained fame from this fair. It's incredibly interesting. And I almost felt that the fair had more life and was more vividly brought to life by the author than the chapters focusing on Holmes' methods and murders.

It's historical non-fiction/true crime at its finest. And I will most definitely be exploring more books by this author. 5/5 stars.

For anyone who might question why I might give this a four-star rating rather than the six-star rating that its research deserves,

it's because it's mostly a ton of facts, interesting or otherwise, and not quite the kind of coherent narrative a person might expect as a regular novel.

That being said, it's really a fun and easy read that explores so much of what made the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 a real eye opener and imagination-sparker for pretty much all of America.

As a side-note, or perhaps a parallel-note, it focuses rather heavily on H. H. Holmes, serial murderer extreme who was the American equivalent of Jack the Ripper and contemporary of the same.

We have two sides of the extreme going on here. Love and ambition and art and beauty running through the muck of the extremely dirty and bloated Chicago of the day, focusing on the nasty murderer for the shock value and the dark side of the mirror. I can't complain. It's both full of facts and a truly faithful description of the times, the players that made the Fair fantastic, as well as the failings, the madness, and the horror of its underside.

Awe and Horror, folks.

It's the same coin with two sides.

For that and the fact that this novel is overflowing with awesome history, I loved it. What is fiction is relatively minor compared to the fact that it's mostly real history! And frankly, I was kinda amazed at how many cool bits I did learn!

Spectacle and Terror, folks! :) Gotta love it. This book takes the reader on a captivating journey through the events and people of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. While it may not have the traditional narrative flow of a novel, it compensates with a wealth of fascinating facts. The focus on H. H. Holmes adds an element of mystery and horror, making it all the more engaging. The contrast between the beauty and excitement of the fair and the darkness lurking beneath is expertly描绘. It's a must-read for anyone interested in history, true crime, or just a good story.

Even though I had reviewed this book on 11-21-2021, Goodreads was showing it as "Want To Read" on 12-10-2021. When I went to change it, my entire review, along with all of the lovely comments I had gotten, disappeared. Now I am reposting it.

In his 2003 book The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson takes on the role of an infomercial guy. Do you want to know the history of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893? That’s great, BUT WAIT, there’s more! Do you like reading about true crime and one of the first known serial killers in the U.S? That is even better, BUT WAIT, there’s more! I’ll throw in a side story about the nut case who murdered the mayor of Chicago.

I found the history of the World’s Fair to be the most interesting part of the book and felt it should have been a stand-alone story. Larson captures the zeitgeist of Chicago in the 1890s. The grand buildings, all painted white, gave the grounds the name of “The White City.” However, the fair development and building were plagued with various issues such as bureaucracy, bad weather, union strikes, worker injuries, a short time frame to complete, and some poor structural designs. The people involved were a who’s who of the American elite, including the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and Walt Disney’s father. Under the guidance of architect Daniel Burnham, the fair managed to end without losing money during a terrible economic time. Visitors included Nikola Tesla, President Benjamin Harrison, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Buffalo Bill also set up his famous Wild West Show starring Annie Oakley just outside the fairgrounds. The 1893 World’s Fair introduced us to many innovations like the Ferris Wheel, the tallest skyscrapers, grounds lighted by incandescent bulbs, and shredded wheat.

The story involving “The Devil”, H. H. Holmes was mostly interesting as Larson details the criminal activities of a charming serial killer who killed numerous people during the time of the fair. However, the smaller story regarding the crazy Pendergrast seemed unnecessary to the book. The intermixing of the true-crime tales with the history of the fair was a bit odd but mostly worked.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because of Larson’s excellent story-telling ability.

I have been having the intention to read this book ever since it was published. However, it was not until 15 years later that I finally managed to get around to it.

The Devil in the White City combines two of my most favorite subjects, namely Serial Killers and Victorian America. I have read numerous other reviews for this book, and it seems that people really dislike the fact that this book is not solely about H.H. Holmes. Apparently, a lot of the reviewers never bothered to read the back of the book, otherwise they would have known that it is a split biography. The Devil in the White City is clearly about H.H. Holmes, but it is also about the 1893 World's Fair which was held in Chicago.

For me, the World's Fair was the most captivating part. Maybe that is because I went into reading it already knowing about Dr. Holmes, but the fair was completely new territory for me. I had to constantly fight the urge to Google people and places while I was reading because I truly desired more information.

Here are a few things that the 1893 World's Fair introduced: The Ferris Wheel, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, Aunt Jemima boxed pancakes, and juicy fruit gum.

For me, this book lived up to all the hype. Erik Larson has painted a vivid and engrossing picture of the rise of Chicago and the first known American Serial Killer. If you have a penchant for books about True Crime or if you simply enjoy a good History book, then I highly recommend this book.

Audiobook narrated by Scott Brick 14h 58 min


The good news is that I selected this audiobook using an Audible credit, and it is now safely stored in my library. I have a feeling that I will likely give it another try and attempt to read it again one day.

However, out of the 6 hours that I had already played, I found myself dozing off for a significant 4 hours of that time. This has left me in a bit of a quandary when it comes to assigning a star rating.

At the moment, I simply cannot bring myself to rate it because I feel that I haven't truly experienced the full essence of the audiobook. I'm hoping that when I do give it another go, I'll be able to stay awake and fully engage with the story, allowing me to provide a more accurate and meaningful assessment.

Extremely well written and researched, unsettling, entertaining, educational, and fascinating are all words that come to mind upon finishing Eric Larson's book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America.

The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 was a remarkable achievement for the city and its architect, Daniel H. Burnham. While the city was celebrating and enjoying this new wonder of the world, another man, H.H. Holmes, a handsome and charming doctor, was luring victims to their deaths, becoming America's first serial killer. This is the incredible true account of two very different men and the paths their lives would take.

This is my second book by Eric Larson, having previously read and loved Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. I was looking forward to another book by this author, and I was not disappointed. His books are extremely well researched and detailed, leaving no stone unturned when telling a story.

I loved learning about the Fair and the magnificent buildings, such as the World's first Ferris Wheel, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, and electric boats. I also enjoyed the descriptions of families traveling long distances to the fair from small farms and towns and their amazement at witnessing these spectacular attractions and the miracle of electricity for the first time. Eric Larson's descriptions are vivid and captivating, making you feel as if you are there in the center of the city's excitement.

However, you are quickly brought back to reality with the murder and mayhem created by H.H. Holmes. It is令人难以置信 how a man like this could have murdered so many innocent people without anyone noticing or suspecting him.

A word of warning: The Devil is in the detail. Eric Larson's books are high on detail and facts, which I loved, but some may find a bit tedious as the story does drag slightly in places. Nevertheless, the historical information and descriptions are excellent, and I loved every minute spent with this book.

I listened to this one on audio, and the narration was excellent.

The article seemed to focus definitely more on the lead up to the world's fair rather than on the serial killer. It was truly very well written and researched.

The details provided about the preparations for the world's fair were fascinating. It delved into the planning, the construction of the various exhibits and attractions, and the excitement that was building up among the people.

However, the mention of the serial killer was rather brief and seemed to be more of a side note. While it added a touch of mystery and danger to the overall narrative, it did not overshadow the main focus on the world's fair.

Overall, the article was a great read, providing a comprehensive look at the events leading up to the world's fair and leaving the reader eager to learn more about this significant event.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson is a remarkable 2003 publication.

Astounding!

I recently came across an online review of this book, which jogged my memory about the copy I had sitting on my bookshelf. I was convinced that I had already read it, although it was a long time ago. However, I hadn't added it to any of my online book sites, which led to an internal debate within myself. Did I or did I not read this book? Or perhaps I had it confused with another book I'd read about H.H. Holmes?

As it turns out, I had indeed read it, but the passage of time had caused many of the details to fade from my memory. Since I wanted to write a review for it and hadn't added it to my online book sites, I decided that a refresher was in order.

To be clear, this is a true crime book about H.H. Holmes, but it's so much more than that. It's also a captivating exploration of a specific time, place, a momentous event in history, and the people who made it all happen. It's a horrifying yet fascinating story.

Larson is truly a talented author. The research is, of course, outstanding, but it's the way he brings history to life that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

The book reads like a novel, which is an approach that many True Crime authors have perfected. However, it's a bit more challenging to achieve when writing about history. Anyone who thinks that history or nonfiction is too dry should give this book a try!

Larson had me completely enthralled, and despite my love for True Crime, it was the planning and execution of the magnificent World Fair that took center stage for me. The architecture, all the vivid details, the people behind the scenes, and the influx of people into the city were simply incredible.

But evil was lurking in the shadows, and the fair provided the perfect environment for a serial killer - H.H. Holmes, to be precise.

Holmes was truly the embodiment of nightmare fuel! He managed to get away with so much for such a long time, and it was almost too much to comprehend! The times were also very different back then, which made it easier for Holmes to deceive a more trusting public.

Overall, Larson has a unique approach and a well-organized presentation. He brings together two seemingly disparate subjects and links them in such a way that it's almost impossible to put the book down.

This is a rare talent in historical writing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime and history, of course, but even if you usually prefer fiction, you'll probably still find this book to be of great interest!

4.5 stars

Heard the one about the architect and the serial killer? It's not a bad joke, but it is a great book. The architect was Daniel Burnham, the driving force behind the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

The killer was H.H. Holmes, a Svengali-type figure who lured young women to his hotel and did the most gruesome things, the least shocking of which was murder.

The two men never met, but The Devil in the White City brings their stories together, and although it reads like a novel, everything is thoroughly researched fact.

The Great Columbian Exhibition of 1893 was Chicago's big chance to transform its old image as a dirty and dangerous town and claim its place as America's second city.

The fair's theme looked back to the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery, but its vision was futuristic.

For the first time, people could experience electric lighting, clean water, and planned green spaces on a large scale.

Innovations like the Ferris Wheel, the hamburger, and the zip fastener added to the excitement.

The buildings were monumental, the exhibits eclectic, and the visitors were amazed. They called it the White City.

Daniel Burnham was the project manager. He had to work hard and overcome many obstacles to ensure the fair's success.

There was an economic recession, bickering architects, striking workers, pompous politicians, and Chicago's bad weather.

But Burnham pushed himself to the limit and made it happen.

As if that weren't enough, there's a parallel story about H.H. Holmes.

He built a hotel to attract young women coming to the city for work and a new life.

But he had a dark secret. He was a serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths.

Holmes's crimes were truly horrific, and he managed to get away with them for a long time.

I had a strong feeling I would like this book, and I wasn't disappointed.

It's a fast-paced and absorbing read, with two fascinating stories.

The author does a great job of bringing the characters and the era to life.

Although Burnham and Holmes are the main characters, there are many other interesting figures in the book.

Buffalo Bill, Thomas Edison, and Scott Joplin are just a few of the famous names.

The lesser-known characters are also well worth reading about.

As for the serial killer, the author doesn't dwell on the gory details.

But what he leaves to the imagination is even more powerful.

The book also has a sense of optimism.

Burnham's efforts to achieve the impossible and the pride of the people of Chicago are inspiring.

The U.S. edition of the book has the subtitle "the fair that changed America," and that's true.

The Chicago Fair of 1893 had a huge impact on the country, from the Pledge of Allegiance to modern living.

It showed America what it could be and what it would become.

I think this book would appeal to a wide range of readers.

If you're interested in cities, architecture, engineering, politics, social history, horticulture, or true crimes, you'll probably enjoy it.

It's a great book that I would highly recommend.