 Cover ofThe Devil in the White City | |
| Author | Erik Larson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical non-fiction |
| Publisher | Crown Publishers |
Publication date | 2003 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover andpaperback) |
| Pages | 447 |
| ISBN | 0-609-60844-4 |
| OCLC | 54397544 |
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America is a2003historical non-fiction book byErik Larson presented in anovelistic style. Set in Chicago during the 1893World's Columbian Exposition, it tells the story of World’s Fair architectDaniel Burnham and ofH. H. Holmes, a criminal figure widely considered the firstserial killer in the United States.[1]Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights in 2010.[2] The concept has since been indevelopment hell.[3]
The Devil in the White City is in four parts, the first three happening inChicago between 1890 and 1893, while part four of the book takes place inPhiladelphiacirca 1895. The book interweaves the true tales ofDaniel Burnham, the architect behind the1893 World's Fair, andH. H. Holmes, a serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths in his elaborately constructed "Murder Castle".
Burnham ran into many challenges when it came to the World's Fair including a fire, difficulty engineering the buildings to be safe, and a lack of funds for the fair. H. H. Holmes was responsible for multiple murders. His "dungeon" was equipped with secret rooms, torture chambers, and he had access to a big furnace to cremate the bodies of his victims. Holmes was known as a charming man who had the ability to seduce his victims. In the book he mainly targets women.[clarification needed]
Other subplots include events such asthe assassination of Chicago MayorCarter Harrison III byPatrick Eugene Prendergast mere days before the close of the fair.[4][5]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times praised the book as "vivid" and "lively", and commented on how the research done by Larson on the many "odd and amazing" events of the 1893 exhibition are "given shape and energy" by his "dramatic inclinations".[6]
David Traxel forThe New York Times criticized Larson for having "little sense of pacing or focus" in the "grab-bag" approach he took when discussing the exhibition. Regarding the discussion of Holmes in the book, he writes that Larson's "imaginative touches…sometimes goes farther than the sources warrant".[7]
In a review forNewsweek, Malcolm Jones wrote "only in the notes at the back of the book does [Larson] admit that the chapters describing Holmes's murders are merely conjecture built on a handful of facts"; even so, the story of the fair was "too enchanting" so even that "grave misstep can't doom" the book.[8]
Ann Reinking collaborated with composerBruce Wolosoff and Melissa Thodos of Thodos Dance Chicago to create the balletThe Devil in the White City, based on the novel; theChicago Sun-Times named it "Best Dance of 2011".[9][10]
In 2007, a television documentary inspired by the book titledMadness in the White City aired on theNational Geographic Channel.[11]
In 2019,Hulu began developing a series based on the book, withLeonardo DiCaprio andMartin Scorsese signed on as executive producers.[12][13] In January 2022, actorKeanu Reeves was reported to be in negotiations to star, withTodd Field set to direct the first two episodes.[14] Production was expected to begin in March 2023 in Chicago and Toronto, with a planned 2024 release.[15] Reeves and Field both exited the project in October 2022.[16][17] In March 2023, Hulu confirmed it would not move forward with the series,[18][19] though producers began shopping it to other distributors.[20]
Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the book in 2010. The film version, as originally planned, would have been directed byMartin Scorsese, written byBilly Ray, and produced jointly byParamount Pictures,Double Feature Films, and DiCaprio'sAppian Way Productions.[21][22][23] In January 2025,20th Century Studios revived the adaptation, with Scorsese and DiCaprio still attached to direct and star, respectively.[24]
Martin Scorsese andLeonardo DiCaprio's next collaboration,The Devil in the White City, is taking shape once again, as20th Century Studios has boarded the project. Scorsese and DiCaprio will also produce alongsideStacey Sher, Rick Yorn, and DiCaprio'sAppian Way partner, Jennifer Davisson.
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