Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Chicago. It really gave a great picture of the City back in the late 1800s. Having just moved to Chicago, it's proved a great introduction to its history. The pacing of the book really propels it. When the World's Fair story begins to drag, the Holmes story Ramos up and vice versa. Nothing that's going to change how you see the world, but it'll change how you see one town at least and its a very enjoyable ride to get there.