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Devil In The White City

What is devil in the white city?

· Sarah Mitchell

Key facts

Title The Devil in the White City[1]
Author Erik Larson[1]
Publication year 2003[1]
Setting Chicago[1]
Event 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition[1]
Figures Daniel Burnham; H.H. Holmes[1]

The Devil in the White City is a 2003 nonfiction book by Erik Larson that tells the parallel stories of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and serial killer H.H. Holmes, who used the fair as a lure for victims.

Context

The Devil in the White City is a 2003 nonfiction book by Erik Larson about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the parallel story of architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer H.H. Holmes [1]. It is commonly described as a historical narrative that interweaves the fair’s construction with Holmes’s crimes [1].

Documented claims

  • The book tells parallel stories of civic pride and big-city boosterism and gruesome crimes. [1]
  • H.H. Holmes is described as the “devil” of the title. [1]
  • The book centers on Burnham’s work on the fair and Holmes’s use of the exposition as a lure for victims. [1]
  • The work is nonfiction. [1]

Questions and answers

Was The Devil in the White City based on a true story?

Yes, it is a nonfiction book that recounts real events from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the crimes of H.H. Holmes [1].

What is the book The Devil in the White City about?

It tells the parallel stories of the fair’s construction led by Daniel Burnham and the serial murders committed by H.H. Holmes, who used the exposition as a lure [1].

Who is the devil in The Devil in the White City?

H.H. Holmes is described as the “devil” of the title [1].

Sources

  1. The Devil in the White City | Book, Movie, Summary, Genre, & Facts — britannica.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in Culture