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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
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List Price: $14.95
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Manufacturer: Vintage
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.15230977311
EAN: 9780375725609
ISBN: 0375725601
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 447
Publication Date: 2004-02-10
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: 2004-02-10
Studio: Vintage
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Editorial Reviews:
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Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men--the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. 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.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Creepy-cool slasher history
Comment: Creepy-cool history of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, intertwined with the history of the serial killer H. H. Holmes who was operating at and around the Fair and may have accounted for anywhere from 9 (confirmed) to 50 (suspected) to even 200 (conjectured) murders.
Reads like an atmospheric slasher novel, except it is history, and thoroughly footnoted from contemporary accounts as well as secondary sources. The couple of scenes where Larson assumes an omniscient authorial viewpoint are noted and his historical sources for the conjectural fiction are noted and explained.
Oh, yes, and there was a World's Fair going on at the same time, and that story fascinates as well, with the conflicts of personalities and politics that plague every large public project. These interactions result in sometimes bizarre, sometimes postmodernicly hip juxtapositions of buildings, events, and landscapes where millions would celebrate the latest of everything in their world.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Anyone Living in Chicago
Comment: If you live in Chicago or have lived in Chicago or just love Chicago you must read this book. My appreciation of the city, especially the architecture, is greater. And my knowledge of the city's history (an incredibly fascinating history) grew as well. I am a much better tour guide of Chicago to friends and family because of this book!
The book has a quick pace and reads like fiction. And there are sections, such as the ones regarding Holmes, that you wish were fiction. The writing style is uncluttered and straightforward. And the story progresses smoothly. It is a wonderful read.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Educational AND fun
Comment: As an urban planner, I found the history of the 1893 World's Fair fascinating, but what was great is that this book was a good beach read. So the other plot of a Jack-the-Ripper (true story) murderer spiced things up.
It's amazing what a huge effect that World's Fair had on our lives even 110 years later.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Devil in the White City
Comment: I enjoyed this book because I just returned from Chicago and heard rave reviews about it from city tour guides etc. The book is a fascinating look back on the Worlds Fair in Chicago plus serial killings going on at the same time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Comment: The Chicago World's Fair at the turn of the century and a gruesome serial killer. The 1891 World's Fair was America's coming out party...
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