Non-Fiction Roundup Part 1

Last week I picked up a copy of The Great Pearl Heist by Mary Caldwell-Crosby from our new non-fiction shelf. I've been on a non-fiction kick lately, particularly of historical events of a dramatic nature (lots of  stories about crime and epidemics) so I thought I'd share a roundup of titles, some recent and some a little older that fall into this category. Click on the links to view each title's record in RockCat.

The Great Pearl Heist: London's greatest thief and Scotland Yard's hunt for the world's most valuable necklace by Mary Caldwell-Crosby (354.16 Crosby). Fast-paced, well-researched book about a jewel heist that took place in Edwardian London. Caldwell-Crosby does a really nice job of setting the scene and providing plenty of historical social and economic context.

Devil in the White City: Murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America by Erik Larson (364.1523 Larson). One of the most popular non-fiction titles in recent years, Larson's book is a fascinating exploration of Chicago leading up to and during the World's Fair in 1893. It's a treat for everyone from architecture buffs to true crime fans.

The Ghost Map: the story of London's most terrifying epidemic -- and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world by Steven Johnson (614.514 Johnson). An examination of London during the dreadful cholera epidemic of the mid-nineteenth century. Not for the squeamish reader.

In Cold Blood: a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences by Truman Capote (364.1 Capote). Originally published in 1966, Capote's title is considered by some to be the earliest example of a non-fiction work, and by most accounts it's certainly one of the first titles that would fall into the category of "true crime."

Black Fire: The true story of the original Tom Sawyer -- and of the mysterious fires that baptized Gold Rush-era San Francisco by Robert Graysmith (979.4 Graysmith). Graysmith paints an interesting picture of the boy that inspired Mark Twain's popular literary hero and reveals the story of "torch boys" or boy firefighters that were an important asset to San Francisco during the city's unstable boom days.

Other titles to try:

• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, terror, and an American family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson (943.086 Larson)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (616.0277 Skloot)
• The Murder of the Century: the Gilded Age crime that scandalized a city and sparked the tabloid wars by Paul Collins (364.152 Collins)
• Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper by Patricia Cornwell (364.5423 Cornwell) 
• Destiny of the Republic: a tale of madness, medicine, and the murder of a president by Candice Millard (973.8409 Millard)