Upon Jayme's recommendation, I checked this book (on CD) out of the library and listened to it as I drove around town. The books full title is Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. It is extremely well-written, especially for a work of non-fiction, and is filled with interesting tidbits. I now find myself a little more educated in a wide array of different fields.
Its hard to say what this book is about because it covers so much ground. Principally, it is about the World Columbian Exposition (the Chicago World Fair held in the early 1890's) and its influence. Basically, after the World Fair in Paris (an enourmous spectacle that brought us the Eiffel tower), we (the US) wanted a fair of our own that would outdo the Paris Fair. This book is about our efforts in that vein. But you could also say that the book was about one of Chicago's greatest architects; one of America's first serial killers; America in the 1890's; the city of Chicago; American architecture in the 1890's and its effect on subsequent architecture; landscape architecture; the invention of the Ferris Wheel; the American spirit; Buffalo Bill Cody; and much more.
Because the book covers such a wide variety of topics, you are sure to be more interested in parts of this book and less interested in others, but because the writing is so good, all of it is readable.
Overall, I would recommend the book. Here's the Amazon.com link. You can check out some other reviews there, if you're interested.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375725601/sr=8-1/qid=1144432365/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-3306506-0480060?%5Fencoding=UTF8
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I drove Ian's car and heard part of this book. The part talking about the actual fair was very interesting. However, it soon led into a discussion of the serial killer's tactics. It was very disturbing and I had to turn it off. Therefore, you might want to skip these parts if you do read the book. Or if you are sensitive to crimes against women and such you might want to find another book.
Ian, I'm glad you read and enjoyed this book. Basically, the book alternates chapters between the construction of the Columbian Exposition and the workings of one evil man. The parts on the Columbian Exposition were fascinating, particularly since I work in the world of capital construction. That they built something so large in such a short amount of time is remarkable. That it no longer exists is sad.
My favorite part of this book was the author's depiction of landscape architect Olmstead--creator of New York's Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park. I wish I could have seen what he created in Chicago.
I really liked the parts about Olmstead as well. He was a fascinating and very likeable character. It made me want to put a little more thought and effort landscape architecture at my future home. The effects that a rich landscape can have on a space is really amazing.
I've entered the Blogosphere:
http://littera-scripta.blogspot.com/
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