What are your favorite books about Chicago?

Although I've traveled to Chicago many times on business, I wanted to learn more about the city that will host the NFPA conference this June. So I just bought a copy of "The Devil In the White City" by Erik Larson. Published in 2003, the book tells the true story of two men: the architect behind the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and a serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death.

Inside the dust jacket, the San Francisco Chronicle raves, "Readers will soon forget that Larson's work is nonfiction and, instead, imagine that they are holding a fictional page-turner." The book has also been recommended by several friends, and I'm anxious to get started.

We'd like to hear from you! Have you read "The Devil In the White City" or other books about the history of Chicago? What books about Chicago would you recommend to others? It's easy to respond: just click on the "comments" link below, enter your name (just your first name is fine) and your e-mail address (this will NOT show in your post), and type your comments in the white box. Then select "post".

- Mike Hazell

Comments

[Erik]

You are going to Love The Devil in the White City! Just as the review says, it is hard to believe it is a work of non-fiction. The two story lines are both fascinating (serial killer and world's fair). I never grasped the enormity of a world's fair, but the desriptions in this book are so vivid, it really brings home how huge this event was. They had a ferris wheel where the passenger cars were the size of railroad cars! This is a book I couldn't put down. If Erik Larson reads this comment, just put my check in the mail. Thanks

[Jonny 5]

This is a great book. Not only did they have a Ferris Wheel it was the first of its kind designed by a man named Ferris to one up the Eiffel Tower. It also shows how many things that we do and see today came from Chicago and more specifically the Columbian Exposition (world's fair). For example the pledge of allegiance that we all learned in grade school was written to honor opening day of the fair and that is just one small example. This is a must read.