American author and journalist
This article is about the non-fiction author. For the comic book creator, see
Erik Larsen . For the Disney animator, see
Eric Larson .
Erik Larson (born January 3, 1954) is an American journalist and author of mostly nonfiction books. He has written a number of bestsellers,
[1] including
The Devil in the White City (2003), about the
1893 World's Columbian Exposition in
Chicago and a series of murders by
H. H. Holmes that were committed in the city around the time of the Fair.
[2] The Devil in the White City won the 2004
Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, among
other awards . Larson released his first novel in audiobook format only, titled No One Goes Alone , on September 28, 2021.
Early life and education
Larson was born in
Brooklyn and grew up in
Freeport ,
Long Island ,
New York .
[3] He studied Russian history at the
University of Pennsylvania and graduated
summa cum laude in 1976. After a year off, he attended the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism , graduating in 1978.
[3]
[4] He was inspired to go into journalism after seeing the movie
All the President's Men .
[5]
Writing career
Larson's first newspaper job was with the
Bucks County Courier Times in
Levittown, Pennsylvania , where he wrote about murder, witches, environmental poisons, and other "equally pleasant" things. He later became a features writer for
The Wall Street Journal and
Time , where he is still a contributing writer. His magazine stories have appeared in
The New Yorker ,
The Atlantic Monthly ,
Harper's , and other publications.
[5]
Books
Erik Larson talks about In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and An American Family in Hitler's Berlin on Bookbits radio.
Larson has written a number of books, mostly historical nonfiction. In a 2016 interview with the Knoxville Mercury , Larson stated he does all of his own research, asking, "why should I let anybody else have that fun?" He included among his literary inspirations
David McCullough ,
Barbara Tuchman ,
David Halberstam , and
Walter Lord .
[5] Larson's 2006 book Thunderstruck intersperses the story of
Hawley Harvey Crippen with that of
Guglielmo Marconi and the invention of radio.
[6]
Teaching and public speaking
Larson has taught non-fiction writing at
San Francisco State University , the
Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars , and the
University of Oregon , and he has spoken to audiences across the United States.[
citation needed ]
Personal life
Larson has lived in
Philadelphia ;
Bristol, Pennsylvania ;
San Francisco ; and
Baltimore .[
citation needed ] He and his wife, Dr. Christine Gleason,
[7] have three daughters. They reside in
New York City and maintain a home in
Seattle ,
Washington .
[4]
Works
Title
Year
ISBN
Publisher
Subject matter
Interviews, presentations, and reviews
Comments
The Naked Consumer: How Our Private Lives Become Public Commodities
1992
ISBN
9780805017557
Henry Holt and Company
Consumer privacy ,
Market research
Lethal Passage
1994
ISBN
9780517596777
Crown Publishers
Gun culture in the U.S. ,
Gun law in the U.S. ,
Gun politics in the U.S. ,
Gun violence in the U.S.
The subtitle for the 1994 hardcover version is How the Travels of a Single Handgun Expose the Roots of America's Gun Crisis ; The subtitle of the 1995 paperback version is The Story of a Gun .
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
1999
ISBN
9780609602331
Random House
Isaac Cline ,
1900 Galveston hurricane
Presentation by Larson on Isaac's Storm , November 6, 1999 ,
C-SPAN
Presentation by Larson on Isaac's Storm , August 22, 2000 ,
C-SPAN
Book group discussion on Isaac's Storm , November 21, 2005 ,
C-SPAN
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
2002
ISBN
9780609608449
Crown Publishers
World's Columbian Exposition ,
Daniel Burnham ,
H. H. Holmes
Presentation by Larson on The Devil in the White City , February 18, 2003 ,
C-SPAN
Booknotes interview with Larson on The Devil in the White City , September 14, 2003 ,
C-SPAN
Book group discussion on The Devil in the White City , October 13, 2005 ,
C-SPAN
Thunderstruck
2006
ISBN
9781400080663
Crown Publishers
Hawley Harvey Crippen ,
Guglielmo Marconi
Presentation by Larson on Thunderstruck , June 9, 2007 ,
C-SPAN
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
2011
ISBN
9780307408846
Crown Publishers
William Dodd ,
Nazification of Germany
Fresh Air interview with Larson on In the Garden of the Beasts , May 2, 2011 ,
National Public Radio
Presentation by Larson on In the Garden of the Beasts , May 23, 2011 ,
C-SPAN
Q&A interview with Larson on In the Garden of the Beasts , July 24, 2011 ,
C-SPAN
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
2015
ISBN
9780307408860
Crown Publishers
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Q&A interview with Larson on Dead Wake , March 29, 2015 ,
C-SPAN
Presentation by Larson on Dead Wake , March 27, 2015 ,
C-SPAN
Presentation by Larson on Dead Wake , June 6, 2015 ,
C-SPAN
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
2020
ISBN
9780385348713
Penguin Random House
The Blitz ,
Winston Churchill in the Second World War
Interview with Larson on The Splendid and the Vile , May 5, 2020 ,
C-SPAN
No One Goes Alone
2021
ISBN
9780593557945
Penguin Random House
William James
Fiction; Audiobook only.
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
2024
ISBN
9780385348744
Crown Books
American Civil War
References
^
"Erik Larson: Best-selling Author of In the Garden of Beasts " . Erik Larson: The Books . Archived from
the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012 .
^ Birnbaum, Robert (March 24, 2003).
"Erik Larson" . Identity Theory. Retrieved December 3, 2022 .
^
a
b
"Erik Larson, 2003 National Book Award Finalist: Nonfiction, The National Book Foundation" . NationalBook.org . 2003. Archived from
the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012 .
^
a
b
"About The Author - Erik Larson : Best-selling Author of In the Garden of Beasts" . ErickLarsonbooks.com . Retrieved May 25, 2012 .
^
a
b
c Everett, Matthew. "
Q&A: Author Erik Larson ." Knoxville Mercury , 16 March 2016.
^ Baker, Kevin (November 5, 2006).
"Thunderstruck. By Erik Larson - Books - Review" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved February 21, 2018 .
^
"Erik Larson: the devil is in the details" . www.bookpage.com . Retrieved February 10, 2024 .
External links
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