About this title: The 1893 Chicago World's Fair is the setting for this true account of two very different men: the celebrated architect Daniel H. Burnham who designed and supervised the construction of the "White City" around which the fair was built, and H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett), a fiendishly clever serial killer posing as a doctor who murdered ...
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Description: Fine. B001OLKKIQ **Softcover**--Cover has absolutely minimal shelf wear. No personalizations, writing or marks in the text. Clean, Tight and Neat. Absolutely no spine creasing. Ships Quickly-IN STOCK-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books Ltd
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780553813531ISBN:0553813536
Description: Good. Unmarked pages. Tight spine with very mild reading crease. Bright, attractive cover with mild shelfwear. All items packaged promptly with care. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602051ISBN:0385602057
Description: Good in GOOD jacket. Ex library book. Good, clean condition book. The free end page has been removed. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602051ISBN:0385602057
Description: Good. This is an EX LIBRARY copy with all the usual stamps, marks etc. The inside flysheet has been tidily removed. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602730ISBN:0385602731
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Edition: NEW ED
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780553813531ISBN:0553813536
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 496 pages. (496 pages) this is the story of the men and women whose lives were irrevocably changed by the chicago world fair, and of two men in particular: an architect and a serial killer. spicing the narrative are the stories of a cast of historical characters including buffalo bill, scott joplin and theodore dreiser. illustrations, map edition new ed (Paperback) read more
Edition: Audio Book edition
Binding: Audiobook (cassette)
Publisher: Books on Tape
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780736690041ISBN:0736690042
Description: Good in good dust jacket. Former public library copy with library stamps/stickers. In plastic hardshell case. Tapes, storage case in good condition. Unabridged; Narrated by: Scott Brick; includes ALL 10 tapes. Each tape 1.5 hours (approx. 12 hours total); While Daniel H. Burnham builds the glittering 1893 Chicago World's Fair, a serial killer lures young women to a torture chamber.; read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602051ISBN:0385602057
Description: Good in very good-unclipped jacket. First Edition. 1st edition, complete with dustcover, unclipped; Ex library usual library markings, Plastic sleeve over dust jacket; else All in good condition; read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Crown Publishers, New York
Date Published: 2003
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 2003 Crown Publ. First Edition, First printing of the Edgar Winner for best Crime book. A FINE/FINE near MINT copy with only a small previous owner signature on the ffep. **Brenbooks specializes in first edition mysteries, many signed! read more
Description: 2003, stated 1st edition, very good condition, minor wear to binding edges, two small bumps to lower edge of binding, with a near fine dust jacket, published by Crown Publishers, New York, 447 pages. A fascinating look at the building of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, under the direction of Daniel Hudson Burnham, and Frederick Law Olmsted, and against this background we have the worst serial killer in American history Herman Mudgett alias H.H. Holmes and his scarlet ... read more
Description: GOOD. Trade Paperback-Hardcover-9789900168256 ADVANCED READER COPY~TRADE PB NOT H/C [LARSON, ERIK] DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, THE. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday
Date Published: 2003-03-03
ISBN-13:9780385602051ISBN:0385602057
Description: Like New in Like New jacket. Hardcover. Like new cover and text. Like new dust jacket with very minor shelfwear. Near Fine condition. Beautiful book. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602730ISBN:0385602731
Description: Good. Our aim is to create an overall satisfying buying experience for our customers through the provision of affordable books and a personalized approach to customer service. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780553813531ISBN:0553813536
Description: New. This is the story of the men and women whose lives were irrevocably changed by the Chicago World Fair, and of two men in particular: an architect and a serial killer. Spicing the narrative are the stories of a cast of historical characters including B... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385602051ISBN:0385602057
Description: Good. Book is in good condition with possibility of minor bumps, creasing, colouring. May have an inscription. Please feel free to contact for further detail or photographs. Dispatched from the UK within 24 business hours, 3-5 days estimated delivery. Book Barn operates Mon-Fri, emails over weekends will be dealt with the following Monday. Thanks for supporting Oxfam! read more
"The story of how America's most prolific serial killer used the nations greatest engineering accomplishment to carry out his nefarious deeds.
Murder, ambition, intrigue, and the indomitable American spirit juxtapose perfectly in this tale of both the good and evil within man.
Every detail has been painstakingly researched and the narrative crafted with ever growing suspense and bewilderment.
Nearly impossible to put down."
"I read a few reviews about this book criticizing the book for being more about the white city and less about the devil and I almost didn't finish the book thinking the book wouldn't be that much about Holmes. I'm so glad I didn't listen.
I've always had a some vague fascination with the World Fair and was pleasantly delighted to find out how much of our world gets its roots from the Chicago World Fair: our neoclassic bank building styles, city planning, labor union reformations, and most importantly modern theme parks (thank you!). I think it would have been fascinating to attend the world fair and see electricity in all its glory for the first time, to experience the fireworks shows over the lake, and see all the new technology of our greatest age of scientific innovation. Some new products showcased at the world fair: Cracker Jack popcorn, shredded wheat, hot air balloons, Kodak cameras, the electric chair, zippers, and telephones. Some people in attendance: Helen Keller, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill, Woodrow Wilson, and Susan B. Anthony. What a time. It would certainly make you feel patriot knowing the US had upstaged Paris, and without New York or any of the eastern cities. And Larson did a good job of making the construction of the fair, the magic of its duration, and its lasting impact exciting.
Sure Howard Holmes, or Herman Mudgett, may not have had anything to do with the world fair, but he was in Chicago at the time preying on its visitors so he adds to the ambiance of the time. A story about the world fair would not be complete without him and it is his rightful place to be secondary in the story, or at least on an even plane. That's not to say I didn't want more of the Holmes chapters but there is so little known about him. As America's first serial killer, how come he is forgotten when Jack the Ripper terrorizing England at the same time is infamous? That's because Holmes was such a master at deception that nobody really knows exactly whom he killed and how. Up until the end, he was still playing with authorities, and the public, laughing that nobody knew the truth. Serial killers want to be famous these days but Holmes had nobody to upstage (other than his English counterpart who was never found) and was satisfied with knowing he had pulled one over on everyone. It would be nice if more were known about Holmes and his Castle of Terror. Without a lot of concrete information but much speculation, I thought Larson did a good job of giving us an accurate picture of Holmes (like I would know) and presenting the gory details without being disgusting but still showing us how disturbing the events were. And I enjoyed how his story was weaved between the pressure to get the fair done on time. Both stories were fascinating, well researched, intriguingly written and I'm glad I finished the read."
"I debated over whether to give this four or five stars. I usually give four stars to books I love but that might not be to everyone's taste, and five stars to books I think everyone would like. When I went on a (fruitless) search for this on the library's shelves, I was a little embarrassed to find myself in the True Crime section. I don't go in for the gruesome and garrulous "I know who killed me" genre; it strikes me as tasteless and sensationalist, and plus I feel that I have the right amount of wariness re: safety and I don't want to become paranoid. Although I really think this book could have been only about the Chicago world's fair (actually the World's Columbian Exhibition) and have been just as wonderful, the true crime portions of it did not detract from my enjoyment of it and *were* kind of interesting and creepy, in a lurid and voyeuristic kind of way.
The writing was a little ornate in places, but the story was wonderful. Who knew that debates in the architecture world, construction delays, and landscaping would be a breathless page-turner but it totally was. I devoured this book pretty quickly; I just couldn't stop reading to find out what happened next. It is well-researched and imaginatively detailed. The author makes no bones about embellishing within the known historical context, and as long as it's acknowledged I am not concerned about it. In addition to telling the main story, Larson also did a great job of throwing in random historical tidbits that were not necessarily integral to the story but were interesting in the larger context of history.
I only wish I'd gotten this through ILL before I went to Chicago! Now I feel like I have to go back.
**I should note that I read this book, rather than listening to the audio book. There doesn't seem to be a listing for the actual book on goodreads."
"I loved this book I would even say that it one of my favorite books of all time. It had a very intriguing plot and none of it was even fiction. Although at first you may wonder why the author chose to write a story of two totally unrelated people, the man responsible for the worlds fair in Chicago 1893 and a serial killer stocking women in Chicago the during the same period of time. But the author draws the parallel between them, they both had such passion for the things they were doing one for great one for evil."
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