The Devil in the White City
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| The Devil in the White City | |
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Book cover of The Devil in the White City |
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| Author(s) | Erik Larson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | History, True crime |
| Publisher | Crown Publishers |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 447 |
| ISBN | 0609608444 |
| OCLC Number | 54397544 |
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (Crown Publishers, ISBN 0609608444) is a 2003 non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. The book is based on real characters and events. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights in 2010.[1]
The book is set in Chicago circa 1893, intertwining the true tales of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 World's Fair, and Dr. H.H. Holmes, the serial killer who lured his victims to their death in his elaborately constructed "Murder Castle."
Contents |
[edit] Burnham and the architects
- Daniel Burnham: the chief architect behind the World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair)
- John Root: co-architect with Burnham
- George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.: creator of the Ferris wheel
- Frank Millet
- Louis Sullivan
- Richard Morris Hunt
- Charles McKim
- Frederick Law Olmsted: landscape architect in charge of the World's Fair landscape (who also designed New York City's Central Park)
- George B. Post
[edit] Holmes and associates
- Herman Webster Mudgett (aka Dr. H. H. Holmes): a serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their deaths. Dr. Holmes had built his "World's Fair Hotel" complete with a gas chamber, dissection table, and a crematorium to dispose of the bodies. Holmes would remove the skeletons of his victims and sell them for medical and scientific study.
- Clara A. Lovering: Holmes's first wife
- Myrta Z. Belknap: Holmes's second wife
- Lucy Holmes: Holmes's daughter with Myrta
- Georgiana Yoke: Holmes's third wife
- Julia Smythe: employee and lover of Holmes; wife of Ned Connor
- Ned Connor: employee of Holmes; husband of Julia Smythe
- Benjamin Pitezel: business associate (and murder victim) of Holmes
- Howard Pitezel: son of Benjamin Pitezel, kidnapped and murdered by Holmes
- Frank Geyer: detective in charge of finding Pitezel's children after Holmes was jailed for fraud
- Thomas W. Barlow: assistant district attorney who prosecuted Holmes
[edit] Other figures
- Mayor Carter Harrison, Sr.: Mayor of Chicago who was assassinated on the last day of the fair.
- Patrick Prendergast: assassin who killed Mayor Harrison over his delusional belief that he helped Harrison win re-election.
[edit] Film Adaptation
Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the novel in 2010. [2]
[edit] Honors
- 2003 New York Times bestseller (Nonfiction)
- 2003 International Horror Guild Award (Nonfiction)
- 2003 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
- 2003 National Book Award (Nonfiction), finalist
- 2003 CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction, shortlist
- 2003 Great Lakes Book Award (Nonfiction), finalist
- 2004 Washington State Book Award
- 2004 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
- 2004 Edgar Award (Best Fact Crime), winner
- 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book, winner
- 2009 ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (History & Cultures)
[edit] References
- ^ Leonardo DiCaprio secures rights to book of first serial killer in the US, http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/02/leonardo-dicaprio-serial-killer-film Accessed Nov. 2, 2010 Guardian newspaper (November 2, 2010).
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/leonardo-dicaprio-starring-producing-devil-34154
