“As the notion of an exposition gained shape, however, other cities began to see it as a prize to be coveted, mainly for the stature it would confer, stature being a powerful lure in this age when pride of place ranked second only to pride of blood. Suddenly New York and St. Louis wanted the fair. Washington laid claim to the honor on the grounds it was the center of government, New York because it was the center of everything. No one cared what St. Louis thought, although the city got a wink for pluck.”
– The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Bwahahahaha! What an excellent passage. I most appreciate the literature of “tell it like it is” writers with a sense of honesty and flair. I’m only 19 pages into this 390 page non-fiction work, but I was immediately attracted to Larson’s style and can already tell I’m really going to enjoy reading this true account of “murder, magic and madness” at the World’s Fair in the bustling and rapidly changing city of Chicago circa 1893. The Chicago Sun Times claims Larson is a “historian with a novelist’s soul,” and the San Fransisco Chronicle boasts that this book reads like a “fictional page turner.” Agreed. A truthfully historical account to the tune of a captivating novel with a buffet of compelling characters, mischief, global glory and a little bit of fear to spice it up? Right up my alley!
Reminds me of some research I did last year on the World’s Fair of 1968 in San Antonio, TX for which HemisFair Park, the Tower of the Americas, and a now non-existent monorail system that snaked through downtown were constructed. The legendary and beautiful Riverwalk (which the city dyes green annually in honor of St. Patrick’s day!) was also expanded. As with any World’s Fair, this was a big deal for the city of San Antonio – proving our worthy place among other top cities as a cultural, architectural and artistic mecca, as more than just a squat town of cowboys, horses, dirt roads and ranches. It’s a neat thing to look up sometime if you’ve got the time and a notion to check out some cool, not-so-ancient history. I worked a mere few steps away (literally, out the door. About seven feet to the right was the HemisFair Park gate pictured below) from all these great attractions when I lived and worked in San Antonio – and I miss it every day.
