Books By Erik Larson

Erik Larson is one of my husband and my favorite nonfiction writers. We think his writing is nonfiction at its best.

I have read four of his ten books, and my husband has read six. I have a goal to read all or at least all of his major books. He has become a must-read author for me.

Because of his extensive research, Erik Larson takes several years to release a new book. However, it is worth the wait.

Erik Larson writes history so well. He provides a ton of details while making history come alive.

From WWII to The Civil War to true crime, he writes books that you can’t put down.

My husband and I recently attended an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Erik Larson spoke about his new book, The Demon of Unrest. We both loved hearing him speak.

It was fascinating to hear about his latest book, how he researches his books, what he loves to read, and more.

Author events are a great way to support authors and learn more about their work. If Erik Larson comes back to Tulsa, I will definitely go hear him again.

Erik Larson Books

This list is a little different than most of our lists. Most of our lists are of books that we have read. These are all the books by Erik Larson, so for this list, we have read most of them but not all of them.

Isaac’s Storm was published in 1999. It is the story of the Hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, in 1900. Over 1600 people died in that storm that hit Galveston.

I loved this book. It was so well written. I read a different book about the same storm years ago, and Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm is so much better written.

If you love books about science or weather, this is a good one. It is also an excellent book for those who like to learn about forgotten parts of history.

The Devil In the White City was published in 2003. It was the first Erik Larson book that I read and it is my favorite of his books so far.

The Devil In the White City combines true crime, medicine, the World’s Fair, architecture, and more.

I recommended this one to my husband and dad, and both enjoyed it.

Thunderstruck was published in 2006. It is the story of two men: a murderer and an inventor. Their lives come together with a murder and a chase across the Atlantic. I have not read this one, but it is in my to-be-read stack.

In the Garden of Beasts was published in 2011. The book is set in 1933, Berlin, when William E. Dodd moved his family to Germany after he became the American ambassador to Germany. It is a look into what was going on in Germany before the start of WWII.

I have had this on my to-read list for quite some time. I recently picked it up and am enjoying it so far.

Dead Wake was published in 2015. Set in May of 1915, this is the story of the Lusitania, a luxury ocean liner that set sail from New York to Liverpool.

Germany had declared the waters around Britain a warzone when the passengers and crew set sail, expecting to be at sea for just a few days. Instead, a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, killing over one thousand people. 

I read and loved this book.

The Splendid and the Vile was published in 2020. This book gives you a look into Winston Churchill’s first year as Prime Minister. On his first day in office, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. His first year in office was not an easy one.

I loved that this book gave you a look into Churchill’s political and personal life.

This book was published in February 2020, shortly before everything shut down. I read this shortly after it was released when we spent long days at home.

I loved this book. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I could not put it down.

It was the perfect book for that time. It reminded me that the world had gone through horrible things before and had survived them.

The Demon of Unrest was published in 2024. This book was just released on April 30, 2024. I preordered this book months before it came out. Erik Larson is one of the few authors I will preorder.

This book is about President Lincoln’s election and the month leading up to the Civil War. I have read mixed reviews on it, but I look forward to it.

My husband and I went to hear Erik Larson last month when he came to Oklahoma to promote The Demon of Unrest. We both enjoyed it. Listening to him talk about his books and writing was so much fun.

No One Goes Alone: A Novel. This is an Audiobook original, so it is only available on audio. The publisher describes it as an otherworldly tale of intrigue and the impossible that marshals his trademark approach to nonfiction to create something new: a ghost story thoroughly grounded in history.

Lesser Known Books by Erik Larson

These are two of Erik Larson’s older, lesser-known books. I doubt I will read them, but since they were written by him, I included him on the list.

The Naked Consumer was published in 1992. After receiving a lot of junk mail directed at new parents, Erik Larson sets out to discover how companies spy on consumers.

This book would be interesting because it was written in 1992, long before companies began targeting your internet browsing history. Companies have been targeting consumers for years, long before the internet. This one sounds very outdated, but might still make a good read.

Lethal Passage was published in 1994. This book is about gun culture in America. It starts in December 1988, when Nicholas Elliot walked into a Virginia school, killing one teacher and wounding another.

After reading the reviews on this one, it sounds like another book that is probably quite outdated. This is one of the Erik Larson books that I might not read.