The Devil in the White City (book)2023-10-20T14:15:41-05:00

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

Erik Larson’s best-selling book about

the 1893 World’s Fair and killer H. H. Holmes


Posts about the TV/film adaptation of The Devil in the White City

Columbian Exposition Books from 2018

The 125th anniversary year of the Worldโ€™s Columbian Exposition offered scholarship, images, and fiction relating to the Worldโ€™s Fair in several new publications in 2018. Pioneers of Promotion: How Press Agents for Buffalo Bill, P. T. Barnum, and the Worldโ€™s Columbian Exposition Created Modern Marketing by Joe Dobrow. University of Oklahoma Press. Communications professional and business history writer Joe Dobrow traces the origins of modern American marketing by shining [...]

The Dying Scene of this Magnificent Exposition: Mayor Carter Harrisonโ€™s Final Speech

Worldโ€™s Columbian Exposition celebrated โ€œAmerican Cities Dayโ€ on Saturday, October 28, 1893, two days before the close of the Fair. Chicagoโ€™s Mayor, Carter Harrison, hosted what was thought to be the largest congregation of U.S. mayors ever assembled. Greeting the guests as they arrived on the fairgrounds on the bitterly cold day was the blast of a cannon and musical fanfares from a group of sixteen trumpeters stationed around [...]

Aug. 11, 2018 Ride Like the Devil in a โ€œDevil in the White Cityโ€ Bike Tour (Chicago)

The Chicago History Museum is offering a โ€œRide Like the Devil: a Devil in the White City Bike Tourโ€ on August 11, 2018, from 9 am to noon. Cycle back to 1893, pedal past sites related to the Worldโ€™s Fair, and discover its lasting influence on Chicago. Along the way, tour guide Greg Borzo, author of Where to Bike Chicago, will uncover Daniel Burnhamโ€™s grand plans and the devilish [...]

โ€œDevil in the White Cityโ€ is top-10 Illinois Book

Erik Larsonโ€™s 2003 best-selling book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed Americaย ignited a passion for the 1893 Worldโ€™s Fair in countless readers. The title recently earned a spot in the list of top-10 books with links to Illinois. Larsonโ€™s historical non-fiction thriller tells parallel stories about the monumental efforts of Daniel Burnham to build the White City in Jackson Park [...]

By |June 11th, 2018|Categories: NEWS, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

July 21, 2018: Devil in the White City Bus Tour

Experience theย murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America on a 4-hour bus tour offered by the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, July 21, 2018. (A second tour will be offered on August 25, 2018.)Inspired by Erik Larsonโ€™s best-selling book, this tour will take youย back to 1893 with historianย Al Walavich to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. Visit the historic [...]

By |May 9th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , |0 Comments

“I’ll take the 1893 World’s Fair for $200, Alex”

Columbian Exposition fan Dorothy McFarland kindly shared with us some screenshots of the episode of Jeopardy that aired on January 17, 2018, which included the Round 1 category "The 1893 Chicago Worldโ€™s Fair" ("You remember that," adds host Alex Trebek). The contestants did remember the fair, making a clean sweep of the category. Amanda Griggs provided the correct question to the $200 answer: "Illuminated by thousands of light bulbs, [...]

Nov. 30, 2017: โ€œFair Game” theater show at Northwestern University

An interactive theater show opening soon at Northwestern University will allow audience members to walk through the magic (and menace) of the 1893 Worldโ€™s Fair. โ€œFair Game: A Chicago Spectacleโ€ by Sit and Spin Productions explores Chicago in the years 1891 to 1893, as the city builds and then hosts the Columbian Exposition. Written and directed by Eli Newell, the choose-your-own-adventure โ€œFAIR GAMEโ€ is described this way: As the [...]

Weinstein, War, and the White City

The 1893 Worldโ€™s Fair has made small guest appearances on the big screen and small screen, but has yet to be a major featured setting for a film or television series. The 2005 documentary film EXPO โ€“ Magic of the White City, narrated by Gene Wilder, (link to online video) uses still images of the Columbian Exposition along with video footage (oddly chosen, in some cases) to tell the [...]

Oct. 28, 2017 (Chicago): White City dinner and drinks at The Reservoir

Enjoy an evening at the White City on Saturday, October 28, with a meal and cocktails inspired by the 1893 World's Fair. The Reservoir, located at 844 West Montrose Avenue in Chicago, will host a Halloween "Devil in the White City" party beginning at 6:30 with cocktails name "White City Devil," "White City Soda" and "Devil's Elixer." A special 1893 World's Fair special dinner is on the menu, followed [...]

By |October 27th, 2017|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

From the Emerald City to the White City

Having been a devoted L. Frank Baum enthusiast for decades, I developed a keen interest in learning more about his life and times upon moving to Chicago in the summer of 2003. The author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz provided the invitation to explore the history of the 1893 Worldโ€™s Fair in Chicago. Many sources have offered commentaryโ€”ranging from the factual to the fancifulโ€”on Baumโ€™s connections to the [...]

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