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H. H. HOLMES
The True History of
the White City Devil
A new book by Adam Selzer
Tuesday,
November 14, 2017
5:30 - 8:30 pm
The Lounge at Iwan Ries
19 South Wabash Ave
Cocktails at 5:30, with the presentation at
6:00 for about
thirty minutes, followed by discussion
and general cocktail talk.
Reservations
are required.
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From the publisher:
H. H. Holmes:
The True History of the White City Devil is
the first truly comprehensive book examining the
life and career of a murderer who has become one
of America’s great supervillains. It reveals not
only the true story but how the legend evolved,
taking advantage of hundreds of primary sources
that have never been examined before, including
legal documents, letters, articles, and records
that have been buried in archives for more than
a century.
Though Holmes has
become just as famous now as he was in 1895, a
deep analysis of contemporary materials makes
very clear how much of the story as we know came
from reporters who were nowhere near the action,
a dangerously unqualified new police chief, and,
not least, lies invented by Holmes himself.
Selzer has unearthed
tons of stunning new data about Holmes, weaving
together turn-of-the-century America, the
killer’s background, and the wild cast of
characters who circulated in and about the
famous “castle” building. This book will be the
first truly accurate account of what really
happened in Holmes’s castle of horror.
Exhaustively
researched and painstakingly brought to life, H. H. Holmes will
be an invaluable companion to the upcoming
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio movie
about Holmes’s murder spree based on Erik
Larson’s The Devil in
the White City.
o-o-o
“Adam Selzer’s masterful sleuthing
proves to us, ‘the devil IS in the details.’
Impeccably researched, the author has wiped away
the 19th century cobwebs. Highly recommended.” –
Steve Hodel, author of Black Dahlia
Avenger
“Exhaustively researched, highly
readable…you’re drawn into the narrative as
though reading a Caleb Carr novel.” – M. William
Phelps, author of Dangerous Ground:
My Friendship with a Serial Killer
"Using thousands of
primary sources...what emerges is a picture of
a terrible but intriguing man.. whose story
leaps off the page in Selzer's uniquely suited
hands. A must-read." - Booklist (starred
review)
“Selzer takes apart the
dove-tailed pieces of fact and legend to show
the myth-making behind one of America’s most
infamous bogey-men. Not to be missed by any
crime enthusiast.” – Donald Rumbelow, author
of The Complete History of Jack
the Ripper
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| Chicago historian,
ghost-chaser, grave-robber,
tour guide, and novelist Adam
Selzer is well
known to the Cigar Society for
his series of lectures here. This
time, he'll be back to a discuss a
decade-long project: H.
H. Holmes: The True History of the
Devil in the White City, published this last April.
Adam is also the author of Flickering
Empire: How Chicago Created the U.S.
Film Industry (with Michal
Glover Smith ); Ghosts
of Chicago: The Windy City's Most
Famous Haunts; Mysterious
Chicago: History at its Coolest;
The Smart Aleck's Guide to American
History; Ghosts of Lincoln:
Discovery His Paranormal Legacy;
How
to Get Suspended and Influence People, and two-dozen other books of
fiction and nonfiction. |
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About the Cigar
Society of Chicago
ONE OF THE
OLDEST AND greatest traditions of the city clubs of
Chicago is the discussion of intellectual, social,
legal, artistic, historical, scientific, musical,
theatrical, and philosophical issues in the company of
educated, bright, and appropriately provocative
individuals, all under the beneficent influence of
substantial amounts of tobacco and spirits. The
Cigar Society of Chicago embraces
this tradition and extends it with its Informal
Smokers, University Series lectures,
and Cigar Society Dinners, in which cigars,
and from time to time pipes and cigarettes, appear as
an important component of our version of the classical
symposium. To be included in the Cigar Society's
mailing list, write to the secretary at
curtis.tuckey@logicophilosophicus.org.
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