The Devil in the White City
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Summary
A few blocks away, the young, handsome, and impeccably mannered Dr. H. H. Holmes arrived in the city. Near the fairgrounds he built a respectable-looking "hotel," where he exploited the era's bustle, the influx of transient visitors, and the countless young women who came to Chicago alone to carry out his secret and brutal designs.
Told in alternating narratives that shift between the fair's construction and Holmes's crimes, this book draws on extensive newspapers, letters, trial records, and memoirs, using the pacing of a novel to recreate the glory and shadows of the Gilded Age and to ask how the pinnacle of civilization and the depths of human depravity could grow in the same city at the same time. The book was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- 喜欢《冷血》一类非虚构犯罪写作的读者
- 对美国城市史、世博会与镀金时代感兴趣的读者
- 写作爱好者，想学习双线叙事与史料编织技巧的人
- 能接受罪案细节、但更在意时代与人性描写的读者
Not a good fit for
- 对暴力、谋杀细节较为敏感、易受影响的读者
- 希望读到纯虚构推理小说、追求解谜快感的读者
- 只想读轻松休闲读物、不愿投入较长篇幅的读者
Reading tips
- 阅读时可留意时间线的推进，两条叙事线常以“同一时期”作为切换点。
- 遇到陌生的建筑术语与人名，不必停顿，先顺着叙事读下去，再回头查证。
- 读完后可延伸了解1893年世博会的建筑遗存与芝加哥城市发展史，理解会更立体。
- 若对罪案部分感到压抑，可分段阅读，穿插轻松的读物调节。
About the publisher
Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.
Contents
- Overture: Aboard the Olympic
- Part One: The Frozen Music: The Black City, "The Trouble Has Just Begun," The Indispensable Material, Going with the Flow, "Don't Be Afraid!", Pilgrimage, The Hotel Built for the Fair, A Regrettable Prospect, Vanishing Point, Alone
- Part Two: The Point of No Return: The Gathering, Adultery, Anxiety, The Long Day's Trace, Facing the Duel, The Angel from Dwight, Opening Day, Prendergast, I'll Hire You Right Away, The Return of Chappell, The Cruel Truth, Capturing Minnie, The Girls Did Something Terrible, The Invitation, Final Preparations
- Part Three: Beneath the White City: Opening Day, The World's Fair Hotel, Prendergast, Night Is the Magician, Method of Murder, Running Successfully, Nannie, Vertigo, Heathens Wanted, The Endpoint, Coming in Droves, Independence Day, Worry, Claustrophobia, Storm and Fire, Love, The Monster, Prendergast, Toward Victory, Parting, Night Falls, The Black City
- Part Four: The Truth Comes Out: The Estate of H. H. Holmes, Moyamensing Prison, The Lodger, A Living Corpse, Those Exhausting Days, A Premeditated Crime
- Epilogue: The Final Intersection, The World's Fair, The Curtain Falls, Holmes, The Olympic
FAQ
这本书是虚构小说还是真实事件？
书中的霍姆斯是什么人？
中文版有几个版本，该读哪个？
阅读前需要了解芝加哥世博会吗？
Comments
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About the author
Erik Larson is a writer known for his narrative nonfiction. Two of his works are currently included in this collection, both related to The Devil in the White City. Public information is limited, and details such as his nationality and dates of birth and death remain unclear; however, based on the existing categories, his writing centers on literature and narrative nonfiction. The Devil in the White City unfolds around the urban landscape and a serial-case story during the Chicago World's Fair, combining historical archives, character tracing, and narrative tension. This reflects Larson's style of building suspense within real events. With historical sources as the framework and scene and character details driving the narrative, his works combine nonfiction rigor with novel-like readability, offering Chinese readers a concrete example of American historical narrative nonfiction.
