In 1893 the United States was in the grip of a financial panic, crime was rising nationwide, and thousands of people walked the streets desperately looking for work. Yet, in spite of this, millions decided to go to Chicago to see the magical "White City".
In his book Devil in the White City, author Eric Larson brilliantly paints a tapestry of the city of Chicago in the 1890s, highlighted by a creation of breathtaking architectural splendor and hope for the future, and shadowed by a dark inhuman figure filled with evil beyond imagining. At the center of the tapestry are two men who represent the different sides in one glorious event. One is Daniel Hudson Burnham, a middle-aged architect chosen to oversee the design and building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair; the other is Herman Webster Mudgett (alias H. H. Holmes), a swindler, sadist and serial killer who looks at the fair as a way to feed his nefarious desires and make a profit on the side.
One of the things I found most impressive was Larson’s ability to make the reader feel as if they watching events occur around them. He does this through very colorful and detailed accounts. In one passage where he describes how thousands of Chicagoans waited tensely outside the Chicago Tribune office hoping to see the latest results of a Congressional vote to decide where the new far will be built. One can almost fell the emotion as the crowd cheers when Chicago takes the lead and curses as arch rival New York appears to be closing the gap. Finally there is the exposition of exhalation as Chicago becomes the official winner, and newsboys race down the streets and dark alleys bearing extra editions and shouting the news.
Larson introduces his two main characters with careful attention to their history. Burnham, a leading city architect in charge the team that will create the fair, is believed to be more intelligent in financial matters than in design. Holmes is a charismatic drifter who mysteriously acquires wealth and schemes to build a mansion with special rooms for his own uses.
The book is skillfully researched and comfortably well-written. Like an old-fashioned porch swing, the book’s narrative smoothly glides back and forth, devoting a chapter to Burnham, then moving back to Holmes. Larson’s straightforward style and gentle reminders of connecting events are easy to follow without being repetitive. The only drawback to the reading experience is in the layout of the book itself – while each chapter is descriptively titled and about ten pages in length, only the five major sections which have about hundred pages or more are listed in the table of contents.
Larson is clearly at his best when talking about Burnham and the construction of the fair. He relates Burnham’s unending struggles with fair committees, construction and display details, Chicago’s political leaders, rival architects with massive egos, stubborn laborers, and even the weather itself. One of the most magical scenes in the book is when all of the major architectural designers of the fair meet in the library of the Rookery Building and unveil their blueprints for the first time. Larson uses a particularly good quote from Burnham’s diary to capture the moment: “As the day passed, it was apparent that a picture had been forming in the minds of those present – a vision far more grand and beautiful than hitherto presented by the richest imagination.” (p.115) Lyman Gage, president of the Exposition, says, “You are dreaming. gentlemen, dreaming, I only hope that half the vision may be realized.” (p.115)
I had the chance to personally meet Mr. Larson at a later book promotion where he described how the book was created completely from primary documents such as diaries, letters, and meeting minutes. He told me that even more incredible things were said and done at the meeting that he included in his book, but he ultimately left them out because he felt that readers wouldn’t have believed them.
Other men who worked on the world’s fair also emerge in vivid detail. Fredrick Law Olmsted is the head landscaper who believes each flower should be placed with the same care an artist might move his paint brush. Sol Bloom, a twenty one year old with a knack for marketing is given the task of creating a midway with a collection of performers from all over the world. Frank Millet revolutionizes mass painting and organizes many of the fair’s most memorable events and George Ferris a Pittsburgh engineer who's idea for a unique invention would serve as the towering center piece of the fair and in time would become a staple of fairs throughout the world.
However, with the character of Holmes Larson has a bit more trouble, and he struggles to fill the gaps in his life. Larson admits in the list of notes and sources, “Holmes proved an elusive character,” (p.394) For primary sources, Larson relies mainly on letters from Holmes’s victims and police reports. He does uncover fascinating anecdotes. For example during the construction of his block-long house and business building, Holmes asked a worker if he would be willing to kill a man. (p.68) Another time, a relative of one of Holmes's victims came to stay with him, also remembered how Holmes asked for a check of $2,500 which the man gave him. Holmes then wanted him to come to the roof and was very upset when he did not want to go. Later, that night, the man heard mysterious voices coming from just outside his locked door and the sound of key turning, when he called out he heard one of Holmes workers who asked to come in When the man refused he heard the sound of other foot steps quickly moving way. Later he found the Holmes had forged his signature. The man would later think back to the Holmes instance about the roof "If I'd gone, the forgery probably wouldn't have been discovered, because I would not have been around to discover it." (p.87-90) That and similar passages help strengthen Holmes’ portions of the book. Perhaps Larson’s most controversial decision regarding Holmes was to describe two murder scenes where no one other than Holmes and the victim were present. In his notes and sources Larson admitted that this was a difficult decision and explained, “To build my murder scenes, I used threads of known detail to weave a plausible account.” (p.395) While this is a practice most historical writers avoid, the decision is understandable given the shortage of primary documents and inability to interview crucial participants.
While the reader is led through half the book before the world’s fair actually opens, it is well worth the wait. On every page after that, there are golden sequences where new inventions are introduced and the larger than life political and social figures of the day appear around every corner
What ultimately makes Devil in the White City not only a good read but also an important book is that it covers an epic instance in American history about which few people know. The reader not only exults in the excitement and optimism of Burnham and the thousands of workers that brought life to the magical exposition, but also shudders at the depth of dark depravity lurking just outside the ornate main gate.
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