The Devil in the White City

If you live or have ever lived in Chicago, this is a fascinating book. Buy it now (or borrow it from me). The Columbian Exposition is just an incredibly fascinating topic. What was so great about the Columbian Exposition, you ask? The first Ferris Wheel (250 feet high!), the introduction of Aunt Jemima pancake mix, Cracker Jacks, Shreded Wheat, Juicy Fruit, hamburgers, and for many people, the first view of electrical lighting. It was also attended by Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony, Annie Oakley, Grover Cleveland and many others. Imagine Jackson Park transformed into a gigantic neo-classical (much to Louis Sullivan's dismay) white city. If you need a visual, the Museum of Science and Industry is the last remaining building from the fair. The scale and grandeur of the construction is just unimaginable. The fact that the hog butcher to the world upstaged Paris and beat New York to host the fair just boosts your civic pride. It made me want to drive around and see the locations in the book. Combine the wonder of the World's Fair with the story of a mysterious serial killer and it gets even better. The best part is that its all true. As always Wikipedia has an excellent entry on the fair.