Erik Larson, author of the international bestseller The Devil in the White City, and National Book Award nominee, struck an imposing figure at the Crown Center podium, where he addressed over two hundred people. His talk was titled ‘Breathing Life into the Dead.’ The audience listened intently for fifty minutes in the hot, crowded auditorium.

Mr. Larson shared anecdotes about researching for his books Thunderstruck and The Devil in the White City. He spoke about how one goes about reanimating the past and his interest in and attention to detail. "It's not about making it up--it's about detail."

Thunderstruck tells the interwoven stories of two men, Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication, whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.

While researching Thunderstruck, Larson came up with rich and fascinating details about the time, people, and inventions that connect and divide us all. For instance, he learned that when Scotland Yard moved locations, over 2000 umbrellas were left behind in the ‘Lost & Found’ area of the old building. Larson absorbed little details like this to flesh out his research into the past and make history more interesting to his readers.

A most engaging speaker, Larson told of a time when he got to watch a bit of history. Mr. Larson and his daughter arrived in Rome the day before the funeral of Pope John Paul II. That evening they went to a restaurant for a quiet dinner. But not for long! Former President Bill Clinton arrived with a large entourage, and stopped by his table to say ‘hello’. A few minutes later,

Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (President of Ukraine) arrived with his entourage to meet Clinton. The restaurant? Sabatini, in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. After the talk, Mr. Larson graciously answered questions and signed copies of his books.

People waited patiently for over an hour for a chance to get an autograph, chat individually, and shake hands with Erik Larson.

Loyola University's Library Speaker Series featuring author Erik Larson took place on April 19, 2007 at 6:00pm in the Crown Center Auditorium on the Lake Shore Campus.