Sucked in by the book, "The Devil in the White City" -

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and National Book Award Finalist.

"Erik Larson brings Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life by intertwining the true tale of two men - the brilliant architect of the World's Fair, Daniel H. Burnham, who strove to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer, Dr. H. H. Holmes, who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction."

If you're a history buff, or fan of true crime stories or happen to be from the Midwest, then this is a must read.

I won't go into great detail about the story - you can look online if you'd like. But I was hard-pressed to put this book down. The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, or Chicago World's Fair, followed the Paris Exposition by four years and there was no question the architects for the Chicago Fair were bent on making their's the best of all. This was no easy matter - after all, the famous Eiffel Tower was first unveiled to the public at the Paris event.

"Come, the curtains are pulled back a bit. Peek into the past and witness the dawning of a new age. Look for yourself what promises the Dreaming City held for America and the world, and learn perhaps a little more about who we Americans are."

Dubbed the White City for the white coat of staff, or stucco-like material on the outside that seemingly looked illuminated without light cast on it, here are a few factoids that helped to put the Chicago Fair on the map:

First moving pictures from Edison's Kinetoscope, first zipper, first all-electric kitchen, Aunt Jemima's pancakes, Juicy Fruit gum, Shredded Wheat, Cream of Wheat, the Ferris Wheel, the Midway (as in carnival midway), Cracker Jack, Dewey Decimal System inventor, Melvil Dewey's vertical file, the electric chair (this one was for show), Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, among other things. Novelty exhibits included: a suspension bridge made of Kirk's Soap, Statue of Liberty carved from salt, full-scale model of a knight on horseback made of prunes, a giant map of the U.S. made of pickles, and a locomotive made of spooled silk.

The Chicago World's fair lasted six months and nearly one half of the inhabitants of the United States attended, including such luminaries as Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley, kings and queens, Nikola Tesla, generals, famous indians, Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Scott Joplin, Frederick Douglass, J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Andrew Carnegie, Helen Keller, President Grover Cleveland, and Frederick Olmstead, architect of New York's Central Park and architect of landscaping for the fair. Walt Disney's father, Elias, helped build the White City - perhaps a precursor to the Magic Kingdom; Frank Lloyd Wright was inspired by the Japanese architecture on the Wooded Island; "Oz" creator L. Frank Baum visited the fair and said it was his inspiration for the city of Oz;

The book is well-written...period. There are great little one liners Larson uses to close out chapters, providing glimpses into what you can expect in subsequent pages. For example, Dr. Holmes asks "Emeline" to marry him and she accepts. He tells her his family lineage can be traced to English nobility. He lied.

'He promised her a honeymoon in Europe during which, of course, they would pay a visit to his father, the lord'.

On my last trip to Chicago, I had the opportunity to check out a bit of the 600+ acre (give or take) site of the former world's fair. There's only one building left standing - the Science and Industry Building, but it helped me put it all into perspective. It boggles my mine - and you'll understand this when you see the pictures of the fair - that this colossal event took place here 114 years ago. If the air could talk. I'm a history buff and was completely fascinated with this story. I finished the book within a few short weeks, though I'm sure I could've rattled it off in a few days had I wanted.