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The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (2004, Trade Paperback)

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"As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find.". The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

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#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile comes the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death. "As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find." -- San Francisco Chronicle Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World's Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds--a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake. The Devil in the White City draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0375725601
ISBN-13
9780375725609
eBay Product ID (ePID)
4606076

Product Key Features

Book Title
Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Author
Erik Larson
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Murder / General, United States / State & Local / MidWest (IA, Il, in, Ks, Mi, MN, Mo, Nd, Ne, Oh, Sd, Wi), United States / 19th Century, Murder / Serial Killers, Individual Architects & Firms / General, Sociology / Urban
Publication Year
2004
Genre
True Crime, Architecture, History, Social Science
Number of Pages
464 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
7.9in
Item Height
1in
Item Width
5.2in
Item Weight
14.8 Oz

Additional Product Features

Lc Classification Number
Hv6248.M8 L37 2003
Reviews
"Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating." -- Chicago Tribune "A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramatic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction." -- The New York Times "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already." -- Esquire "Another successful exploration of American history. . . . Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair." -- USA Today "As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find." -- San Francisco Chronicle "Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come." -- Entertainment Weekly "A wonderfully unexpected book. . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist's soul." -- Chicago Sun-Times, "Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating." Chicago Tribune "A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramtic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction." --The New York Times "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already." Esquire "Another successful exploration of American history. . . . Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair." USA Today "As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find." San Francisco Chronicle "Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come." Entertainment Weekly "A wonderfully unexpected book. . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist's soul." Chicago Sun-Times, "Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating." -- Chicago Tribune "A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramatic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction." -- The New York Times "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already." -- Esquire "Another successful exploration of American history. . . . Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair." -- USA Today "As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find." -- San Francisco Chronicle "Paint[s] a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure[s] the American century to come." -- Entertainment Weekly "A wonderfully unexpected book. . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist's soul." -- Chicago Sun-Times, "Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating." -Chicago Tribune "A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramtic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction." --The New York Times "So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already." -Esquire "Another successful exploration of American history. . . . Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair."-USA Today "As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find."-San Francisco Chronicle "Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come."-Entertainment Weekly "A wonderfully unexpected book. . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist's soul."-Chicago Sun-Times From the Trade Paperback edition.
Copyright Date
2003
Lccn
2002-154046
Dewey Decimal
364.1523092
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
22
Illustrated
Yes

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item 1 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Chang
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4.7

4.7 out of 5 stars based on 214 product ratings

214 product ratings

169 users rated this 5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
by vicki12323Sep 08, 2016
Excellent true story and how America has benefited from the Chicago's World Fair.
This is an accurate account of the task set before Chicago and it's architects to show the world that they could build a World's Fair within a short period of time. It is absolutely intriguing at every step of it progress and the lives of the people that helped bring this major event happen. It also brings to light all the products and inventions that the world still benefits from today. It tells the story of a diabolical, smooth talking murderer who used this opportunity to kill mass amounts of people for his enjoyment and profit. Many of his victims were lured to Chicago by the hopes of employment, adventure and possibilities. It is a book that you can not put down!! Great author. This is the second book that I have read by Erik Larson and he is an exceptional author who brings to light well researched history.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by nevadaclarkSep 14, 2018
How much fun can one reader take?
This is a story that is well written and actually fun to read! This is more a history book made into story form. There is no plot as the theme follows the history line of actual facts. The facts and points of interest are wondrous and simply staggering. All of which make this read that more enjoyable. Furthermore, adding this book to your library, for future reference, can actually make your library worthy of showing off. It will be a constant source of confirmation to one's sense of being educated. Eric Larson (the author) has written several books in a like manner but I have not actually read them. However, if "The Devil..." is any indication of the level & amount of enjoyment available, then the series is a year's worth of entertainment waiting to be explored!
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Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by aheleneAug 04, 2019
Amazing read
This is the 2nd time I’ve purchased this book after my dog mistook it for a chew toy. But will be the 3rd time I’ve read it. Why? Because it’s amazing. The writer mixes fiction and history so wonderfully you forget it is a story about a horrible man doing horrible things but yet also a story about the making of an enchanted city of years gone past. Makes me wish I was born 80 years earlier. And for the price vs purchasing new ..... it’s a wonderful deal
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by frozentundra199...Mar 13, 2019
Fascinating history of the Chicago world’s fair and a serial killer
If you are looking for a book just about the 1893 Chicago World‘s Fair *or* just about a serial killer, this isn’t it. The book recounts how the fair came about as well as a gruesome history of a madman. There is great detail in both stories. I really enjoyed this book ( I like history). The book made me search eBay for more artifacts from that era which I happily found. The book is compelling and not difficult to read. Should have been made into a movie.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
4 out of 5 stars
by 123debaggisJan 08, 2020
The Devil in the White City
Describes the Chicago Columbian Exhibition (world's fari) and includes parallel chapters of mass murderer H.H.Holmes. The world's fair featured beautiful buildings and landscape including canals and islands, and the first mass demonstration of electric lighting, Holmes murdered using gruesome measures. His body count, impossible to pinpoint, was between 29 and 200, mostly young women. He did them in at his personal chamber of horrors.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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Picture 1 of 1

The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (2004, Trade Paperback)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

All listings for this product

Ratings and Reviews

Most relevant reviews

Excellent true story and how America has benefited from the Chicago's World Fair.

How much fun can one reader take?

Amazing read

Fascinating history of the Chicago world’s fair and a serial killer

The Devil in the White City

Best Selling in Books

Save on Books

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