From April 1964 to October 1965, some 52 million people from around
the world flocked to the New York World s Fair, an experience that lives
on in the memory of many individuals and in America s collective consciousness.
Taking a perceptive look back at "the last of the great world s
fairs," Samuel offers a vivid portrait of this seminal event and of the
cultural climate that surrounded it. He also counters critics assessments
of the fair as the "ugly duckling" of global expositions. Opening five
months after President Kennedy s assassination, the fair allowed...