The Electrifying Fall of Rainbow City: Spectacle and Assassination at the 1901 World's Fair - Softcover

Creighton, Margaret

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393354792 ISBN 13: 9780393354799

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2017

Synopsis

“A marvelous recounting of the 1901 World’s Fair. Every chapter sparkles.... The Buffalo-Niagara Falls extravaganza comes alive in these pages. Highly recommended!” ―Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior

The Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, dazzled with its new rainbow-colored electric lights. It showcased an array of wonders, like daredevils attempting to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, or the “Animal King” putting the smallest woman in the world and also terrifying animals on display. But the thrill-seeking spectators little suspected that an assassin walked the fairgrounds, waiting for President William McKinley to arrive. In Margaret Creighton’s hands, the result is “a persuasive case that the fair was a microcosm of some momentous facets of the United States, good and bad, at the onset of the American Century” (Howard Schneider, Wall Street Journal). 38 illustrations

About this title

About the Author

Margaret S. Creighton is the author of The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg’s Forgotten History, a finalist for the Lincoln Prize, and other works. She is a professor of history at Bates College and lives in Maine.

Review

“A delightful read.”
- Portland Press Herald

“Lively.”
- Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor

“Required reading.”
- New York Post

“Engrossing.”
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A propulsive, edge-of-your-seat ride.”
- Lauren Belfer, author of And After the Fire

“Creighton shines.”
- Booklist

“While perhaps not quite as well known as the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, was equally full of drama and intrigue.... The Electrifying Fall of Rainbow City is the compelling story of an event that sparked technological advances and spurred new perspectives on social equality and race.”
- Becky Diamond, BookPage

“Utterly electrifying prose.”
- Martha Hodes, author of Mourning Lincoln

“Wonderfully informative, evocative and illuminating.”
- Buffalo News

“An extraordinary portrait of the event... great storytelling and painterly in its color and detail.”
- Mark Goldman, author of High Hopes and City on the Edge

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0393354792
• ISBN 13: 9780393354799
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 352