The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic & Madness and the Fair that Changed America

published	2003 by RH Audio
binding	Audio Cassette
isbn	0739303406 (isbn13: 9780739303405)
setting	United States
literary awards	Edgar Award, 2004 - Best Fact Crime
description	Mysteries, Murder and the Chicago's Worlds Fair. Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with suc...more [close] Mysteries, Murder and the Chicago's Worlds Fair. 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. --John Moe
date added	12-28-06 edit book

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James rated it:

(review of isbn 0553813536)

04/07/08

bookshelves: reviewed

Read in December, 2004

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 thoroughl...more

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Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

05/04/08

bookshelves: trt-reviews

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

In 1893, Chicago was gearing up for its shining moment on the international stage. The city had been selected to host the World's Fair, beating out New York and a number of other American contenders. A prominent local architect, Daniel Burnham, had taken the reins to organize and construct the massive project. He assembled a dream team of architects, landscapers, engineers, and other professionals to help pull the fair together. Certainly Ch...more Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

In 1893, Chicago was gearing up for its shining moment on the international stage. The city had been selected to host the World's Fair, beating out New York and a number of other American contenders. A prominent local architect, Daniel Burnham, had taken the reins to organize and construct the massive project. He assembled a dream team of architects, landscapers, engineers, and other professionals to help pull the fair together. Certainly Chicago could outdo the Paris Fair, which had been a worldwide success years earlier.

Unfortunately for Burnham and his team, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Due to a lack of organization and bickering among the committees responsible for the fair, construction began far later than it should have. Partially completed buildings blew over and burned down. Union workers threatened strikes. One sideshow act showed up a year early, while another (which was believed to be made up of cannibals) killed the man sent to retrieve them and never showed up at all. And there was a monster on the loose. A man who used the chaos of Chicago at this time in history to conceal the murders of dozens of people - many of them young, single women. A man who constructed a building with stolen money, then used the building as a slaughterhouse to lure, kill, and dispose of his victims.

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY is a terrific book. It is nonfiction, but it reads like a novel. The real-life details of this story seem almost too bizarre to be true, yet this is one example of the old saying that "truth is stranger than fiction." The author, Erik Larson, even includes a lengthy section at the back where he documents his facts and explains his suppositions.

The book's chapters alternate between the World's Fair and the exploits of serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes. I found myself enjoying both stories, as they ran parallel throughout the book. The Herculean task of putting together the fair in record time was fascinating, and the sociopathic actions of Dr. Holmes were chilling. It made for a brilliant contrast - just when the frustrations of the Fair seemed overwhelming, the book switched to Dr. Holmes as he lured yet another young woman into his web. And just when Dr. Holmes' evil seemed too much to bear, the chapter would end and the reader would be back at the World's Fair dealing with political back stabbing, instead of Holmes' more literal variety.

I rarely read nonfiction, but this book came highly recommended to me, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did, too. It offers a wonderful historical perspective on Chicago and the world near the close of the 19th century. For a Chicago-area native like me, its frequent mentions of famous local names, like Burnham and Adler and Marshall Field, that still grace street signs and the sides of buildings, were an added treat. Just a brief word of warning, though: it does contain some of the dreaded "adult themes." Some of Dr. Holmes' crimes are described - although not too graphically - and they might be upsetting for "younger or more sensitive" readers.

I strongly recommend THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY to anyone who enjoys an engrossing, well-written story, whether they normally read fiction or nonfiction. In particular, if readers have a book report in school, this book should be considered. It makes history come alive. ...less

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Kristy rated it:

08/19/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: anyone

Ohhhh, this book is creeeeeepy and all-true!!! Being from Chicago I was in an awful thrall the entire time. The only thing that was missing for me would have been some kind of map to show where exactly the Fair was located, and all the other buildings he talks about... I think the fair was probably located roughly on what the Museum Campus is now, but I still would like to see a map.

And the people! Burnham and Root and Atwood... and Carter Henry Harrison! It says his mansion was on Ashland,...more Ohhhh, this book is creeeeeepy and all-true!!! Being from Chicago I was in an awful thrall the entire time. The only thing that was missing for me would have been some kind of map to show where exactly the Fair was located, and all the other buildings he talks about... I think the fair was probably located roughly on what the Museum Campus is now, but I still would like to see a map.

And the people! Burnham and Root and Atwood... and Carter Henry Harrison! It says his mansion was on Ashland, I'm wondering exactly where. And Mudgett... I wonder where all of his buildings were... it sends chills up my spine just to think about it. I wonder if anyone has put together a tourist's map based on this book?

O.K., beyond my personal reasons for being fascinated, the writing is excellent, and really well documented. And the charming thing is that he documented everything in the back of the book in a really simple way, so if you were so inclined you would not have to be a big fancy scholar to follow his paper trail and see all of this stuff for yourself. Power to the people!

And the writing style is accessible and the voice is also very appropriate... he kind of veers between eulogist and undertaker. And the few times that he takes liberties and describes things that no one could ever really possibly have documented, he does so in a way that is careful and responsible. And I think for him not to have taken the liberties would have been a mistake... I think everyone who read the book would have thought there was something missing.

And what's ultimately really rewarding about this book is that the author outlines all the ways in which the influences of Fair of 1893 reverberated in American culture (and the world) for years afterward. Our aesthetic sensibility as a nation was permanently changed. And our technological sensibility. And to think that all of this was planned so fast, it was like a supernova in the middle of this underdeveloped backwater (oh, I said it. I live here now, and sometimes I still think of Chicago that way.). And that with all that progress comes this darkness, too, there's this underside to everything.

And with that lovely thought, I'm going to try and find the Wooded Island. Ciao!...less

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Charity rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

04/13/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: historians, mechanical minded people, people interested in crime and human interest dramas

I want to give it 4.5 stars and I considered bumping it up to five, but there were a few problems with it: it didn't take off for a little bit at the start, there were times when the chronological order of the narrative was "violated," etc. Overall, though, I thought the book was amazing. I found myself frequently searching the internet for images of the fair, and telling people about how wonderful the book was and how interesting the time period it covered; new products and dramatical...more I want to give it 4.5 stars and I considered bumping it up to five, but there were a few problems with it: it didn't take off for a little bit at the start, there were times when the chronological order of the narrative was "violated," etc. Overall, though, I thought the book was amazing. I found myself frequently searching the internet for images of the fair, and telling people about how wonderful the book was and how interesting the time period it covered; new products and dramatically influential inventions combined with serious social and economic problems created this weird optimistic-pessimistic feeling of the read.

While reading, I found myself saddened by the apparent obsolescence of World's Fairs. Now that technological advances have the world super tiny, there's no point in holding a World's Fair to bring us all together. So on one hand I mourn that lack of such a "magical kingdom" possibility. Of course, the allusion to Disney was intentional, not only because his father was one of the builders of this Fair, but also because we can see the increasing commercialism brought about by such gatherings, and it makes it clear that aside from being some sort of idealistic utopia, meant solely to please the masses, 1) things were really really bad which is why the masses needed to be thusly placated, and 2) there was tons of financial/commercial pressure on the organizers to MAKE MONEY. Surely if the World's Fair were to happen in these times, it would be just one big huge advertisement, as it kind of tried to be then. It's fascinating to read about how the organizers tried to advertise and gauge public opinion about the fair in order to attract more visitors, since the advertising methods were so incredibly different.

Oh, and there was also the serial killer. Technological and practical advances in law enforcement surely wouldn't have allowed him to do as much damage as he did if he lived today. It's amazing to read about how and what this guy seems to have gotten away with.

People say this book reads like fiction, and it does in that it's very entertaining and an amazingly gripping story. The author is an amazing storyteller. At the same time, it is quite clear that he is presenting factual evidence, largely from primary sources. This awareness kept me amazed throughout and was the main reason that a few nights ago I fell asleep ON the book. I just couldn't put it down. ...less

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Keri rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

04/26/08

Read in March, 2008

recommended to Keri by: NYC Book Club
recommends it for: History and non-history buffs alike.

My rating system is based on a complicated scoring method that takes the number of times I put a book down and divides them by the hours/minutes passed before picking it up again. Okay, so maybe it’s not that involved, but I do take how quickly I read and the number of times I choose to read over watching TV into account. With that said, I read The Devil in the White City in a month. I consider this commendable. It did, however, take a good deal of discipline and a few long stretches of read t...more My rating system is based on a complicated scoring method that takes the number of times I put a book down and divides them by the hours/minutes passed before picking it up again. Okay, so maybe it’s not that involved, but I do take how quickly I read and the number of times I choose to read over watching TV into account. With that said, I read The Devil in the White City in a month. I consider this commendable. It did, however, take a good deal of discipline and a few long stretches of read time on Saturday mornings.

All in all I would recommend this book to history and non-history buffs alike. If you’ve ever utilized the Dewey decimal system, enjoyed a bowl of shredded wheat or wondered how Pabst won it’s blue ribbon you may find The Devil in the White City interesting, informative and a true asset when quizzing friends with useless yet interesting and informative facts. Personally I never truly grasped the concept of a world’s fair. I live in the New York/New Jersey area and have passed relics of the 1964 New York World’s Fair on the Long Island Expressway (or LIE for you natives) numerous times without much thought. The Devil in the White City brought me back to a time before the Internet when people came together to learn about what was going on in the world. It made me wish that we weren’t so virtually connected and that we came out from behind our computers, newspapers and magazines more often to connect with the world outside our own. In addition to providing a cool historical overview of the Chicago World’s Fair, The Devil in the White City also chronicles, in alternating chapters, the life of Dr. H.H. Holmes, the first American serial killer who used the fair as a lure for his young female victims.

My only issue with the book and likely the reason it wasn’t a breeze getting through was the lack of character development, which I understand is a result of the book’s historical classification. It would likely have been found in the fiction section should Larson have decided to tell me how Daniel Burnham felt the morning of the grand opening or why Dr. H.H. Holmes felt no guilt at the countless number of women he murdered. Personally, I would have been okay if Larson had decided to take a few more creative liberties, but then again I admire the research and dedication that went into making The Devil in the White City a truly historical account.
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Matthew rated it:

10/24/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: people looking for a damn good non-fiction book

exceedingly pleased. i must have talked about this book with at least twelve different people about different things i either learned, wanted to know more about, was impressed with, or just wanted to rerelease unto the world. i ended up talking to a stranger on the platform of the N/W about the where the ferris wheel came from. i feel bad for all the people i wondered about on the 7 train three years ago when everyone was reading it. the story, a double narrative following the trials and man...more exceedingly pleased. i must have talked about this book with at least twelve different people about different things i either learned, wanted to know more about, was impressed with, or just wanted to rerelease unto the world. i ended up talking to a stranger on the platform of the N/W about the where the ferris wheel came from. i feel bad for all the people i wondered about on the 7 train three years ago when everyone was reading it. the story, a double narrative following the trials and many tribulations of the architects attempting to errect the most magnanamous world's fair ever to be constructed was equalled by the fascinating story of H. H. Holmes, perhaps the States most dubious, if unknown, serial killer. larson, the teller of tales, made the narrative of the two stories fit together perfectly, at one time absorbing each other, at another letting one steal the stage over the other. his exhaustive research let out a stream of information that just always seemed interesting or at the very least, worthwhile. the sky-scraper, the windy city, juicy fruit, shredded wheat, the little tune we associate with a snake popping out of a womven basket - all explained. rarely will i say i had a lot of fun reading a boo, but this one got me there. i distinctly recall being marginally upset when i realized how little left of the book i had.

i give this one a strong 4, with thoughts on boosting it to the realm of 5. it honestly would probably get there if not for a few things that do not hinder me from recommending it from anyone, but were worth mentioning. number one, i wanted a little more of the H.H. Holmes. I'm sure he was short-changed for reasons of lack of information and certainty more then lack of want. two, the slow start almost made me put it down. luckily i was encouraged to make it to page 40, where all of the sudden i was unable to recall why i had almost abandoned the text. overall, though, do not let these minor disturbances scare you off. erik larson has written an excellent book seserving the accolades already bestowed upon it. read and enjoy....less

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Jude rated it:

08/28/07

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: pretty much everyone.

My daily life is filled with non-fiction: facts that are collected to give information quickly and easily to a reader. When I read for enjoyment, I usually gravitate toward fiction.

I didn't realize this book was non-fiction when I bought it. I bought it because it came recommended from Katie, who has good book taste and hasn't steered me down the wrong path yet. When I read the back cover before beginning, I thought: what the hell did I get myself into?

Surprisingly, I found myself immed...more

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Vesela rated it:

11/05/07

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: those who like docudrama, murder mysteries, and archietectural history

Larsen is a gifted documentary-style storyteller, adept at infusing history with humanity. Read this book and walk the streets of Chicago during the early 1890s. Larsen puts you in the scene, rousing all of the senses with fantastic descriptions of sounds, scents, and textures.

I was amazed to learn about the magnitude of the challenge of building the 1893 World's Fair--the trial of attracting and gaining support from key archietects; the power plays and political games between the variou...more

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Hava rated it:

04/06/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in November, 2006

I thought this book was very interesting and kept my attention the whole time. It's a true story about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The story has combines the stories of an architect and a killer in one book. All my planner friends should read this because the description of the architecture and what it took to build the "White City" is fascinating.

Here is the review from Amazon...

Amazon.com
Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago Wo...more

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Natalie rated it:

01/31/08

Read in January, 2008

I loved this book despite its flaws. The subject matter was fascinating to me. I loved to read about the era and the creation of an entire city (of sorts) in just a few years. And, the co-story of murder and mayhem was equally fascinating. I loved that this was written using true quotes and clips from old letters, newspapers, and speeches but kept a narrative format and didn't read as just dry historical literature.

BUT....the switching back and forth between the two stories often got annoyin...more

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David rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

12/05/07

Read in January, 2003

recommends it for: Lovers of good historical fiction

From Publishers Weekly
Not long after Jack the Ripper haunted the ill-lit streets of 1888 London, H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) dispatched somewhere between 27 and 200 people, mostly single young women, in the churning new metropolis of Chicago; many of the murders occurred during (and exploited) the city's finest moment, the World's Fair of 1893. Larson's breathtaking new history is a novelistic yet wholly factual account of the fair and the mass murderer who lurked within it. Best...more

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Matthew rated it:

08/30/07

Read in January, 2006

This book follows two seemingly unconnected historical storylines. The first deals with the design and construction of the "White City", which was built on present day Jackson Park in Chicago for the 1893 World's Fair. It follows Daniel Burnham as the chief architect in his attempts to bring the city in to existence in time for the grand opening.

The second storyline deals with "Dr." H. H. Holmes, the first serial killer in American history. Holmes comes to Chicago and ...more

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C. rated it:

01/07/08

Read in January, 2008

There are two stories here: One about the history of the Chicago World's Fair in the 1890s, focusing on the architect who designed it, the other about a serial killer living and killing in Chicago during the fair.

At the beginning of the book, the chapters trade off - one about the fair, one about the murderer. It's a good start because Larson is still discussing the lives of the people involved in the fair, and the killer's life shows a great contrast.

The middle of the book doesn't fai...more

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Anastasia rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

04/26/08

bookshelves: biography-autobiography, non-fiction, thriller-suspense

Read in November, 2006

recommends it for: anyone who likes suspense, history, biographies...it's a diverse book

One of our grande dames in my small hometown (yes, we have grande dames here) brought a tattered copy of this book to me and said, "Anastasia, you have to read this." I rarely turn down such a pointed book suggestion. Besides, Peggy knew that I had visited Chicago twice within the last year and had a keen new interest in the place, its sights, and its history.

The Devil in the White City chronicles the lives of two men who never met, but who led oddly parallel lives before, during...more

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Katie rated it:

04/12/08

Read in April, 2008

Had a hard time deciding if this should be a 4 or a 5. The story is so insanely fascinating that it merits a 5 on its own - it's, as Esquire says, "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already" (quoted on the back of the book). The coverline just pulls you in from the start: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America." SO good.

Erik Larson did a remarkably meticulous job researching the story and putting all of the pieces togethe...more

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Chak rated it:

04/27/08

bookshelves: literary-snackers

Overall, a fascinating book. The background of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the developing city of Chicago of in which it was set was well-researched, detailed and impressive. I loved reading about the different architects (and especially about the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead - designer of New York City's Central Park, though Daniel Hudson Burnham was more of a focal point of the book) and the seemingly overwhelming challenges they faced to make history by pulling o...more

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Frances rated it:

11/25/07

Read in October, 2007

This book was filled with interesting information on the Chicago World's Fair and one of America's lessor-known serial killers. At times, the juxtaposition of the two stories - both of innovation, one for good, one for evil - is a little awkward and stretched, however, the stories provide relief from each other just when you need it. I personally enjoyed the World's Fair half much more than the Holmes story, but as a History major, I have a very high threshold for often boring fact-filled writ...more

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Hannah rated it:

12/27/07

bookshelves: favorites

Read in January, 2007

This is by the same guy who wrote "Thunderstruck". This book was just as good, if not better. It follows the same format- history written as fiction, a criminal and an innovator whose lives intersect (well, sort of, in this case)- but is much faster paced. This book is about the planning and execution of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and about the life and crimes of Henry Holmes, a psychopathic murderer at the time.

Holmes was a far more disturbed individual than Hawley Crippen, t...more

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Trevor rated it:

(review of isbn 0375725601)

06/23/07

Read in June, 2007

If anyone can recommend fun historical books like this or like The Professor and the Madman, please let me know. As much as I like biographies and histories about political or military leaders, these books that dig into tidbits of history are a lot of fun.
This one is about the Worlds Fair in Chicago in 1893. It is also about H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who built a hotel near the fair. The book is arranged so that you read one chapter about the Fair's development and then one chapter about...more