The Essential Great Chicago Fire is, quite simply, the essential things you need to know about the Chicago Fire of 1871. Author William Pack weaves together technical details with vivid firsthand accounts by those who lived through the conflagration, bringing alive all the excitement and terror of the event that almost destroyed Chicago. Also included are selected reprints of contemporary poems and songs about the fire, first hand accounts from survivors, and an interview with the Chief Fire Marshall John Williams. William Pack got his first job in a magic shop at the age of 11 and he has been perfecting his trade ever since. He is a graduate of the Chavez College of Manual Dexterity and Prestidigitation, an award winning professional magician and storyteller, Victorian séance reenactor, former card cheat, ex-casino surveillance, occasional author, world-renowned magic historian, and magic consultant for the movie Ali, starring Will Smith. Born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago, he is a rabid lover of local history. The more lurid the better. Further information on William can be found at: williampack.com.