The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Larson's "Devil In The White City" is every bit as good as his prior Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History if not better still. Larson has a knack for telling a story that not only holds readers spellbound yet retains its historical truth and accuracy all while remaining as truly suspenseful as any fiction I've read. With "Devil" Larson tells the tale of how Chicago was selected to host the 1893 World's Fair but also interweaves the tale of Dr. H. H. Holmes, one of America's earliest and most prolific serial killers. Larson mixes in the individuals who made the World's Fair happen, how it came to be, and the spectacle, doing so with such lively and engaging prose you'd wish you could go back in time to have seen it. And like a moth drawn to a Gilded Age flame, Dr. Holmes saw the opportunity to prey on unsuspecting young women, who came to Chicago to see the fair. Along the way Holmes sets up dubious businesses and eventually creates a hotel that becomes his custom-built slaughterhouse - a virtual house of horrors designed to foster his slaughter in a most efficient and diabolical manner. As Holmes builds his perfect beast so too are Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmstead, and others are creating their vision of beauty - a gleaming white city on the shores of Lake Michigan. But not everything goes so smoothly, and with all the problems encountered it's truly astonishing the fair ever happened or that it made any money. But succeed it does, not all at once, but eventually. The fair becomes a cultural touchstone for that generation in ways unimaginable and what it created shaped the world we live in today. Such was the impact of the Fair. Larson tells these interwoven stories in a way that reminds me of classic silent movies like D. W. Griffith's "Intolerance", and to some following the different plot lines may be a bit of a challenge (although I didn't). Some may be more interested in the Holmes storyline with all its attendant gore. I'd forgotten how truly awful the economy was in 1892/3 and that the Fair succeeded was nothing short of miraculous - it was a risky gamble and the stakes were very high. Reading through I found myself wishing I could have seen it in all its glory and it was sad to hear how the fairgrounds came to an ignominious end. Also fascinating was the storyline of the determined Detective Frank Geyer who doggedly pursued Holmes's path to find his victims. Detective Geyer was truly ahead of his time in his methodical nature and his relentlessness. In the end "Devil" is a glimpse into that society and the culture of that era in a way you almost never get in narrative histories. Larson is probably the best writer in the field and I've yet to read any of his books that failed to amaze and interest me. "Devil" is one heck of a ride!

“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing” –H.H. Holmes “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood” –Daniel Burnham Erik Larson opens his book with these two quotes that function as a preview—and microcosm—to the essence of the two minds at the heart of his Devil in the White City. More than that, both men operated within the same city that spurred their minds to blossom in all their respective depravity and grandeur: Chicago. And more specifically, the author examines the single event that acted as the crucible for revealing both the best and worst that these men could conjure—that event being The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893—an event that would serve as a symbol to the spectrum of the human spirit in all its glory and monstrosity upon the advent of the twentieth century. Chicago of 1893 was a burgeoning American city determined to demonstrate itself against its metropolitan rivals to the East. And with the national decision to commemorate Columbus’ 400th anniversary—coupled by the renowned debut of Eiffel’s Tower at the recent Paris Exposition of 1889—America needed to utilize the upcoming Chicago World’s Fair as a monument and announcement to American’s unparalleled capacity for achievement and innovation. Leading this endeavor would be Daniel Burnham—the architect responsible for overseeing its exhibits, maintaining production, and selecting the fellow men responsible for elevating the Fair into a phenomenon surpassing all expectations. After the death of Burnham’s professional partner, celebrated architect John Root, almost the entire burden of the assignment fell upon his shoulders. a task with the potential to cripple most men faced with the challenge, but one in which Burnham would work tirelessly to succeed—despite certain failures and shortcomings often out of his control—to exemplify the power of a determined mind coupled with an unceasing work ethic. These obstacles of Burnham’s contention would often arrive in the form of inclement weather, bureaucratic battles, and internal squabbles with fellow department heads. Nonetheless, despite numerous delays and last-minute fixes, the Fair was a triumphant success. One that would leave behind such marvels as The Ferris Wheel, Tesla’s alternating electrical current, gum, shredded wheat, spray painting, the device that creates plates for printing Braille…the list goes on ad nauseam. But besides these tangible heirlooms still affecting present American society, the ambition and awe of by the Fair itself would prove to be perhaps its most profound legacy. As one example, Larson relays an anecdote concerning one of the countless construction workers hired to help the Fair reach its nearly impossible deadline. This construction worker being an otherwise anonymous employee by the name of Elias Disney, who would recount stories of the overwhelming awe instilled by the spectacle of The White City upon the attendees to his young son Walt, which, Larson implies, would later be imitated in his designs of Disneyland. Interspersed between these anecdotes of American achievement at its zenith, Larson weaves a parallel narrative focused upon the exploits of H.H. Holmes—America’s first true serial killer. Operating his nearby World’s Fair Hotel—which would later be infamously remembered as The Murder Castle—Holmes would seize upon the opportunity afforded by the Fair in the most monstrous manner imaginable: as a vehicle for his plans of murder and theft to be unleashed. In stark juxtaposition to Burnham’s continued efforts to utilize his resources for the benefit of society, Holmes embodied the nightmare version of the American self-made man. Calculated, cold, and patient, Holmes worked with methodical ingenuity in his construction of the Murder Castle: a three-story hotel assembled from Holmes’ designs that would provide the perfect tenement to his abominable ambitions. From assigning certain workers to only certain sections (limiting their knowledge to corroborate with one another), to his ability to charm creditors for money that would never be repaid, to his own manufactured public image of a well-to-do businessman that would attract his varied women of interest, Holmes exploited every conceivable aspect of the trusting American public in order to appease the commanding vices surging within him. These vices would be numerous and varied. From insurance fraud, to theft, to murder, to kidnapping, Holmes existed as a personification of evil. At every turn—with Burnham working relentlessly mere miles away to produce a vision of America that would change and inspire the world—Holmes indulged in every act of depravity that he could conceive. As though possessed (a claim that Holmes would literally attest to after his arrest), H.H. truly lived up to his opening quote of being incapable of quelling his deviant impulses. Whether it was his numerous wives—all naïve women who sought out Chicago in hope of a new life within the burgeoning metropolis—or random hotel guests, or eventually the children of his accomplice…Holmes exhibited no mercy in satisfying the limitless depths of his immorality. And, as Larson reminds the reader in the introduction, the book is not a work of fiction. Nonetheless, the author weaves this sprawling narrative with compelling and compulsive chapters—each one short and episodic so that the reader falls under the trance of believing that the work could be a fictional, historical thriller. More importantly and impressively, these chapters are written with such specificity and atmosphere as to completely transport the reader into the setting. Larson favors stark, smooth prose that paints a vivid picture of the subject and allows the reader to experience the range of emotions occurring within this revolutionary event: from the majesty of the Court of Honor to Annie Williams’ utter panic after Holmes locks her within a vault, turns on the valve for poisonous gas to be released, and listens to her final screams before death just outside the door. The last third of the novel—with the Fair inexorably approaching its bleak end and the determined detective named Frank Geyer on Holmes’ elusive trail—Larson escalates the suspense to especially memorable and powerful effect. After Holmes’ many, many creditors finally coalesced to take him down, H.H. escaped from Chicago. However, the hotelier did not flee alone; instead, he absconded with three children belonging to his former assistant: the drunken henchman Benjamin Pitezel. As Geyer tracks Holmes across the northern states, locates him in Toronto, and discovers the gruesome remains of the children murdered and mutilated by Holmes, the storytelling morphs into a riveting chase across America and Canada to finally deliver retribution upon the killer. Geyer’s descent into the cellar of the climactic Toronto home reads with as much suffocating suspense and dread as any horror novel, and the brutal aftermath—wherein the mother must identify her horribly mutilated child at the coroner’s office—delivers the unbearable emotions of devastation experienced by the victim that are often glossed over by similar works in the genre. By the finale, wherein Larson interweaves the rapid destruction of the Fair following the assassination of Chicago’s mayor with Holmes’ arrest and execution, the author provides perspective on how the immense scope of these events affected the American public. Burnham with the World’s Fair—a prodigious monument to the power of accomplishment in American creativity, innovation, and inspiration; then with Holmes and the Murder Castle—a material edifice containing the darkest conceptions of a man’s mind and a literal house of horrors that contributed nothing but carnage and chaos. In this striking juxtaposition, Larson underscores how these two men—existing under the same time, place, and tested by the same opportunity—opted to forge the material legacy of their lives. And in demonstrating these expanded boundaries of American accomplishment and depravity upon the advent of the twentieth century, Larson impresses a larger understanding of the scope of human nature; and more importantly, the significance of how each man chooses to actualize his own nature, despite his limited time, and how profoundly the consequences of these actions continue to echo beyond the ephemeral present. [...]

Very informative, interesting and easy to read. I read it in a couple of days and really enjoyed it. The way it was written helps my mind to put me right there in the story. It's a book I could read several times and not be bored of it.

When I bought this book for my Kindle I was excited. I had heard bits and pieces as lover of true crime of the chamber of horrors built by "Dr. H. Holmes" in Chicago right before the World's Fair. When the book opened with a very long and excessive drone on Chicago politics over architecture, I assumed the author was setting the scene. And I admit it was done brilliantly. But the excessive DETAILS on the political fight and details into the politics of architecture really was the most boring thing I've ever forced myself to swallow in hopes of getting sooner to the story I really wanted to hear! And that story was about THE DEVIL in the White City. I felt myself bored and annoyed with so much detailing on the architecture politics that might have caused the fair to be a complete flop. I will admit, I'm a lover of true crime. This detailed coverage into a subject I'm not only wholly ignorant of but not the least bit interested in (except I found it interesting historically). But again, who I wanted to know about was the 'DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY' HIMSELF! I wanted to know HIS background. I wanted to know MORE of his story in such extraneous detail that was left to the people who created an amazing fair. If you are interested in the history of architecture and the 19th century politics that so surrounded it, this is a book for you! Unfortunately though I do LOVE history, architecture is not one of those aspects unfortunately though that spark an even tacit interest. And that caused me to personally find the book maybe didn't have much new knowledge on one our first American Serial Killers at all. He was brought in every now and again for the frist half but it wasn't like I was learning what I thought this book was about. So the book disappointed me. But the book is very well written. And is very well researched. I understand there may not be much information on this evil man who killed who knows how many....so to create a book about him you needed more than what the facts are known on his story. I did find the cultural information incredibly interesting because in history, how cultures have changed happens to be an interest of mine. I will not give this book a bad review. As I said, it is well written, researched, and everything. I just maybe mistakenly believed that this author was going to give us the history of Dr. H. Holmes...con artist in the extreme. Evil, vile murderer of the 'modern' pattern. Maybe all we will know because history didn't see fit to record it is the sparse information that makes our story of this most evil man so intriguing yet lacking. If this is the case, and I feel it almost MUST be the case--the author chose a brilliant a way to make the story longer, show the color of the culture of the times...but in the end left us with the very same information you can get on this evil murderer probably by googling him. I just tell those who buy the book on kindle or in paperback, hardback, or in any form to realize that if you aren't interested in copious amounts of architecture politics in the Windy City of Chicago that happened just as this murderer was forming a plan of mass murder for the fair... If you know ANYTHING about the story of Holmes and his crimes you will find no new insight or information here. But if you can handle with ease and not slide into boredom over the book's near focus of construction of the fair in front of the crimes of Holmes I do say you shouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water as the saying goes. This book may be a brilliant revelation of American History. In fact, if you are interested in Chicago history it still may be an incredible find of you!

I just finished The Devil in the White City, a nonfiction book about the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Normally, I'm all about fiction, especially good ol' crime novels, but this book really captivated me for a variety of reasons. First, I somehow grew up without ever reading about the Columbian Exposition/World's Fair in Chicago, and I now can't imagine why I'd never heard of it. I guess the fact that the fair's buildings and exhibits were torn (or burned) down contributes to people who've visited the city not knowing a huge (for that era) event took place there. Second, the writing is top notch; it would have to be to keep my attention over what would normally seem like dull material to me. Often when I read, I'll skip descriptive passages b/c I just want to know what's going to happen. In this book, reading about aspects of the setting really enriched the story for me because the descriptions were so excellently done. Next up is the fact that America's first documented serial killer operated with total anonimity before and during the fair, luring young women (and some men, too) into his castle of horrors, robbing them, and then killing them with fairly passive means (gas, chloroform). His real interest seemed to be in dissecting his victims after they died. Really strange. He was a doctor and often sold the victim's skeleton to medical schools and libraries. I've never been "into" architecture, but this book was fascinating on the subject. As described, the "White City" was a breath taking sight, one I wish I could see with my own eyes. I imagine some of the sparkle on the fair's many buildings resulted from the fact that most American architecture of the time prior had been utilitarian--get some wood, slap it together, and take shelter. The fair brought architects and engineers from all over the country together to build a remarkable city within a city. The Chicago artisans wanted to showcase their hometown to show it rivaled New York. The country and world were impressed with what they built. Interestingly, most of the buildings were fabricated from easily destructable materials that went up quickly because the whole affair got off to a late start. It was at this fair that the Ferris Wheel made its debut. The exposition directors wanted to feature something as "awesome" as the Eiffel Tower, which had been the center point of the previous world's fair. No one believed that Ferris could really pull off a machine of that size. The cars on the wheel weren't what we think of today; they held 200 people and had windows/fencing (suicide prevention); thus, hundreds could ride the wheel at the same time. The stories of how the fair came to be what it was and of the peculiar H.H. Holmes, the doctor who first charmed and then killed many women, are interwoven in a suspenseful way. It was one of those books I hated to see end. Another interesting sidelight for those of us who love travel and Disney: Walt's father (grandfather?) attended the fair and raved about it often to the family. The author speculates it was this exposition that got Walt dreaming toward Disneyland and Disney World.

Erik Larson does a bang-up job of conveying what life must have been like in the "Second City" as the 19th century drew to its fitful conclusion. Bristling at the constant reminder of New York City's superiority in so many areas, Chicago's city fathers rallied the troops and went all out in proving to New Yorkers, to the nation and to the world that Chicago was equal to the great challenge of mounting a World Exposition of truly monumental stature. Larson's descriptions of the Herculean effort put forth by numerous architects, builders, politicians, etc. lead the reader to a true appreciation of these "can do," spirited individuals. Yet beneath the teeming activity and a short distance away from the gleaming white Pleasure Palaces of the Fair, there stood a building of a different sort entirely, inhabited by one of the most vicious, truly evil creatures the young nation ever produced. Larson does an adequate, but not great job of telling the darker story surrounding H H Holmes, the mesmeric Svengali whose brilliant blue eyes and engaging charm seduced at least a score (one estimate was up to 200, which the author disputes) unfortunate women. Unlike Jack the Ripper, to whom he was later likened, he didn't limit himself to female victims. Business partners who had outworn their usefulness and several children were amongst his prey, as well. He just had a penchant for murder. The sections on the construction of the Columbia Exposition are filled with fascinating anecdotes, ranging from the origins of the sobriquet "windy city (derisively coined by Charles Anderson Dana, Editor of The New York Sun)" to the dramatic entrance of Annie Oakley, barreling in on horseback and blazing away with her two six-shooters in Buffalo Bill Cody's Western Show adjacent to the Fair Grounds. Larson also provides an interesting side story surrounding Patrick Predergast, a delusional political aspirant who turns assassin. He paints a compelling portrait of Fredrick Law Olmstead, American History's premier landscape architect who took up the almost impossible task of designing and overseeing the Exposition's parks and lagoons. The hero of the book, however, is Daniel Hudson Burnham, who was ultimately responsible for the lion's share of the planning, construction and smooth running of the entire enterprise. He had a little over two years from the time Congress selected Chicago from a list of candidate cities that included Saint Louis and New York, to the day of the Expo's official opening. That he got the job done within the alloted time is one of the great marvels in an age of marvels, especially given the myriad difficulties which he and his crew had to overcome. The Holmes narractive appears a bit lackluster in comparison to the story of the Fair's construction. Larson acknowledges the difficulty he faced in recreating Holmes' vicious crimes via imaginary vignettes. He states in an afterword that he went back and read Capote's IN COLD BLOOD for the technique in which Capote so brilliantly engaged in his imaginative reconstruction of events. The only problem with this approach is that Capote had access to and the confidence of the two killers that are at the center of IN COLD BLOOD. Larson had only newspaper accounts from the period as well as a very unreliable journal that Holmes wrote after he was tried and sentenced to death (he was hanged several months after the trial). It would appear that Larson goes a bit too far out of his way to avoid the lurid and sensationalitic aspects of Holmes' killing spree. One has only to visit some of the numerous web sites devoted to Holmes to see that Larson is particularly reticent to discuss Holmes' sexual deviance. This is understandable, as Larson wants to be taken seriously as an historian, yet the facts are out there (most of them well documented) so it wouldn't have hurt to have included a bit more of the darker details. The book could also have used more illustrations. The Chicago Tribune, at the time the story first broke in 1894, included a detailed floor plan of the "Chamber of Horrors" Holmes built on the corner of Sixty-Third and Wallace in the Englewood section of Chicago. That illustration would have given the reader a better sense of the bizarre layout of the structure. More pictures of the Exposition would have also been helpful. Here again, there are several sites on the web devoted to the Columbia Exposition that have many pages of great photographs. The books virtues far outweigh its shortcomings and I have no problem in recommending THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY to anyone interested in US History, Chicago Architecture, or just a well told story. BEK

Erik Larson has the gift of making works of nonfiction read like a novel. In Devil in the White City, he uses his skills to present us with two different but related stories. They include the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Chicago serial killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes. They make for an unbelievable contrast. Chicago in the late 1890's was a rapidly growing city with an identity crisis. Known mainly for its slaughter houses, it wanted the respect of other major cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington. When congress authorized a world's fair to rival the very successful Paris exposition, Chicago actively lobbied for and was awarded this honor. About 70% of Devil in the White City gives details that show that the creation of The Columbian Exposition (later called The White City) was nothing less than a miracle. Chicago local architect, Daniel Burnham, was a true visionary and became the heart and soul of the fair. He was involved in all aspects of planning and preparations involved. This man who was refused admittance to Harvard and Yale proved to be a true genius. He was also smart enough to enlist the help of the best men of his time including landscape architect Frederick Olmstead (Central Park), architect Richard Hunt (Biltmore), architect Louis Sullivan, and engineer George Ferris. But what truly made this an incredible tale was the short period of time that Burnham had to build the fair despite many setbacks-especially Chicago weather. Once finished, it was the marvel of the age. Even jealous New Yorkers had to admit that Chicago had indeed outdone herself. Using the backdrop of the fair, Larson explores the life of Dr. H. H. Holmes (born Herman Mudgett). A man as dark and evil and sinister as they come, Holmes built a "castle" in Chicago and renovated part of it into hotel rooms for the exposition. But his castle also included vaults where victims could be gassed, kilns where their remains could be burned, vats of acid where they could be destroyed, and dissecting tables where they could be dismembered. Holmes was a true charmer and the Chicago police were completely snowed. It is not known how many people he killed, although the number could be above 100. That such a horrible man could have operated in the shadow of The White City is unfathomable. Larson is a stickler for details (he does all his research himself and does not believe in internet research). The Devil in the White City is filled with interesting tidbits of information and anecdotes. For instance, Walt Disney's father worked in building the exposition, and Walt grew up hearing wonderful stories about The White City. The senior Disney even wanted to name his first son Columbus, but his wife objected and they settled for Roy. We wonder how these stories may have helped Walt to envision his own Magic Kingdom. We learn about the many things that were introduced at the fair including hamburgers, diet soda, Shredded Wheat, Crackerjack, Pabst Beer, the first US Postal Service picture postcards, Juicy Fruit Gum and the Ferris Wheel. AC electricity was chosen for the fair over DC and became the standard. As with many fairs, it proved a gateway to the future. As much as a contrast the White City was to the evil Dr. Holmes, there was also a stark contrast between the White City and the rest of America. The Depression of 1893 started to overcome the country, banks went under and businessmen committed suicide. Millions were hungry, homeless and unemployed. The leaders of the Gilded Age refused to offer concessions and labor unions began to grab a foothold. Things would get much worse before they got better. The Devil in the White City was a fascinating book, but one thing that would have made it even better is the addition of more photographs. Since the exposition lasted only six months and only one building remains standing today, it would have greatly enhanced the readers' appreciation of the scope and beauty of the fair. But other than this, Larson has provided us with a fine book that easily rivals his Isaac's Storm.

At first, I wasn't sure I would finish this book. I love historical fiction and books on serial killers, so I thought this would be perfect. The first 15% was drudgery. Then it began to draw me in. It was so interesting in how the World's Fair came to be, even with all of the problems and constraints. That Disney, the Ferris wheel, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Aunt Jemima originated from it was cool to learn. The juxtaposition of Burnham and H.H. Holmes was also interesting. One building a legendary spectacle, the other a legacy of evil. The sad thing is that today, no one really knows much about the "White City" of the world's fair, but H.H. Holmes legacy lives on. All in all, I liked the writing, but it was like reading two books where the timing paralleled, but were never really connected.

I found this book so stressful with the two story lines - the building of the 1893 World's Trade Fair in Chicago and the serial killer on the loose. They had 2 years to design and build the site including the buildings and the site. As the Landscape Architect could not do his work until the buildings were erected and finished due to the railway tracks coming into the site to deliver the goods and he had to finish his work after whereas when he designed Central Park in NYC it was a 25 year project. With all the contractors and the short time frame - I was stressed wondering how they were going to get it done. The story line of the serial killer - every time he met with someone or took a girl on a date - would this be the time he got rid of them. I must say I certainly got my $s worth in reading this book. It was the July selection for our Book Club - great choice. A great read and enjoyable. Great discussions after.

Muy buen libro

livre de docu /fiction très intéressant. Le stress lié à la création de l'expo universelle de Chicago est palpable, les noms cités sont ceux des participants à cette formidable épopée. Chicago chauffée au charbon, éclairée au gaz, et construisant ses premiers gratte-ciel... impressionnant! Pour ceux qui veulent lire en anglais, pas de difficultés majeures dans le choix du vocabulaire ou la tournure des phrases. Bref, un régal

Es una obra maestra tejida como un enorme tapiz. IMPRESIONANTE.

I bought this book used, and it was in good (not perfect or great) condition, which is what I expected. I really enjoyed reading it and saving some money instead of buying new.