At the time of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the United States was fast becoming the world's leading economy. Chicago, the host city, had grown in less than half a century from a village to the country's second-largest metropolis. During this, the Gilded Age, the world's most extensive railroad and steamship networks poured ceaselessly through Chicago, carrying the raw goods and finished products of America's great age of invention and industrial expansion. The Fair was the largest ever at the time, with 65,000 exhibitors and millions of visitors. It has been called the "Blueprint of the American Future" and marked the beginning of the national economy and consumer culture.

Together with the Olympics, world's fairs are one of the few regular international events of sufficient scale to showcase a spectrum of sights, wonders, learning opportunities, technological advances, and new (or renewed) urban districts, and to present them all to a mass audience. Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader breaks new ground in scholarship on world's fairs by incorporating a number of short new texts that investigate world's fairs in their multiple aspects: political, urban/architectural, anthropological/ sociological, technological, commercial, popular, and representational. Contributors come from eight different countries and represent affiliations in academia, museums and libraries, professional and architectural firms, non-profit organizations, and government regulatory agencies. In taking the measure of both the material artifacts and the larger cultural production of world's fairs, the volume presents its own phantasmagoria of disciplinary perspectives, historical periods, geographical locales, media, and messages, mirroring the microcosmic form of the world's fair itself.

Hootchy-kootchy Meets Rich and Snooty in the Delightfully Sweet Americana Romance, Bicycle Built for Two, from Rachel Wilson —1893 Chicago World’s Fair— Hard-working, snobbish, and overbearing, Alex English is proud of his position in the World's Fair Agricultural Forum. When one of the women working as a fortune-teller and stand-in for the dancer, Little Egypt, threatens to upset the wholesome, educational atmosphere, Alex takes umbrage. Kate Finney is working two jobs at the fair to make ends meet and to keep herself and her mother safe from her alcoholic father. But her father pursues her to the fair and then tries to kill her. Mr. Finney is just the sort of nasty element Alex wants kept away from the fair, and if that means Kate must lose her jobs, so be it. But Kate's not going without a fight! Completely vexed by Kate's response, Alex sees the smart, strong, beautiful Kate in a new light. But it takes an unsolicited act of kindness to bridge the gap between their separate worlds and ignite a fire not easily quenched. Publisher's Note: Set in a real time and place, this story is a light and humorous romance about a couple that couldn't be more mismatched. Light on sensuality, this story will be enjoyed by readers who appreciate sweet romance. "A BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO is a rollicking ride into the gay nineties and a look at life on the wrong side of the tracks. Alex is part of the rich aristocracy and quite the snob when it comes to associating with the unfortunate people of the lower classes. He has the absurd idea that the poor are simply down on their luck because they choose to be. He is exasperating and sometimes so naive that he frustrates me. Kate is an acid-tongued young woman who is rude and pushy to the extent you want to shake her out of it. When Alex's rose-colored vision of life meets Kate's everyday reality there is an explosion of fireworks. Alex is brought down to humility and Kate is brought up to the realization that there is kindness in the world. Ms. Duncan has penned a fine adventure. A BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO is a delightful story and not to be missed!" ~Diana Risso, Romance Reviews Today The Meet Me at the Fair Series Coming Up Roses Just North of Bliss A Bicycle Built for Two

What do you call a blonde in a freezer? A frosted flake. Tressa Jayne Turner, known in her hometown as "Calamity Jayne" for her unconventional exploits, is the newest reporter at the Grandville Gazette. And after a whirlwind start to her new job, she's ready to enjoy the final weeks of summer at The Iowa State Fair. The homegrown good-time is Tressa's favorite time of year—donuts, funnel cakes, cotton candy, turkey legs. It's also her Uncle Frank's busiest. His ice cream stand is in a prime location, and he's poised to scoop the competition. But when a soft-serve saboteur appears at the same time her cousin goes missing, it's another fine, sticky mess she's gotten herself into. With a string of malicious pranks, psycho dunk-tank clowns, two geriatric Jessica Fletcher wannabes, one hot state trooper, and a guy in a chicken suit, it's mayhem on the midway! Throw in one Ranger Rick Townsend, the Don Juan of the Department of Natural Resources and bestower of the hated "Calamity Jayne" moniker, and Tressa's got her hands full! The only question is, can she solve the crime and save the day... or will this blonde be enjoying her final fair? (NOTE: This book was previously published under the title Calamity Jayne Rides Again.) Calamity Jayne Mysteries: Calamity Jayne – book #1 Calamity Jayne and the Fowl Play at the Fair – book #2 Calamity Jayne and the Haunted Homecoming – book #3 Calamity Jayne and the Campus Caper– book #4 Calamity Jayne in the Wild, Wild West– book #5 Calamity Jayne and the Hijinks on the High Seas– book #6 Calamity Jayne and the Trouble with Tandems– book #7 What critics are saying about the Calamity Jayne Mysteries: "Filled with dumb-blonde jokes, nonstop action and rapid-fire banter, this is a perfect read for chick-lit fans who enjoy a dash of mystery." ~ Publishers' Weekly "Fun and lighthearted with an interesting mystery, a light touch of romance and some fascinating characters." ~ RT Book Reviews "Throw in two parts Nancy Drew, one part Lucille Ball, add a dash of Stephanie Plum, shake it all up and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind amateur sleuth with a penchant for junk food and hot-pink snakeskin cowgirl boots. A word to the wise: if you’re prone to laughing out loud when reading funny books, try not to read Calamity Jayne when you’re sandwiched between two sleeping passengers on an airplane…sometimes we learn these things the hard way." ~ Chick Lit Cafe "Bacus provides lots of small-town fun with this lovable, fair-haired klutz and lively story, liberally salted with dumb-blond jokes." ~ Booklist *starred review*

A devil-may-care big-city newspaperman meets his match in the delightfully heart-warming Americana Romance, Coming Up Roses, by Rachel Wilson —1893 Chicago World’s Fair— Rose Ellen Gilhooley would do just about anything for Buffalo Bill Cody, the showman who plucked her out of poverty in Deadwood, KS, then turned her into one of the stars of his Wild West Show. So, Rose agrees when journalist H.L. May proposes writing a series of articles about her at the Chicago World's Fair. However, the brash and wildly-enthusiastic newspaperman, who wants more than a business relationship, quickly discovers that his smooth words will never win the feisty trick-rider’s affections. So, he turns to Annie Oakley and a few of Rose’s Souix friends for help, but it’s an unseen enemy’s sudden and dangerous kidnapping that creates the common ground for this unlikely love. Publisher's Note: Set in a real time and place, this light and humorous romance captures the nostalgia of the American Gay 90s in Chicago and is sure to be enjoyed by readers of historical American romance. The Meet Me at the Fair Series Coming Up Roses Just North of Bliss A Bicycle Built for Two

Many know Bill Riley as Mr. Iowa State Fair, the voice of the Drake Relays or the force behind the Bill Riley Talent Search. He wore all of those hats, along with countless more. An Iowan through and through, Bill worked tirelessly on behalf of the state's outdoor spaces and young people, raising money for bike trails and the Des Moines Children's Zoo, later known as the Blank Park Zoo. In the last years of his life, he collected these memories from a career stretching back to the debut of television in the Hawkeye State.

Local antiques dealer, dead in a one-car accident on his way home from an antiques exposition in Columbus, Ohio Two Scranton, Pennsylvania, antiques dealers dead of smoke inhalation Massachusetts antiques dealer dead of substance abuse at an auction in Sharon, Connecticut Antiques dealer dies in his booth at the Westchester (New York) Antiques Show Ignorance is truly bliss for recently widowed Maggie Summer, owner of Shadows Antiques, when she arrives at the prestigious Rensselaer County Spring Antiques Fair. Sadly, she won't remain ignorant of the suspiciously high mortality rate among her fellow antiques dealers for long. Rumors are everywhere. The most recent victim, John Smithson, died of poison at a show just last week, and many of the same dealers are here at Rensselaer. They make the identical circuit year after year, so they know each other well. Or do they? Murder is still far from Maggie's mind as she arranges her Shadows booth: some Currier & Ives prints here, Winslow Homer wood engravings on the hack wall, other prints arranged on tables and easels by category. With eleven years' experience, she knows her stock. So far the worst thing that has happened was putting the wrong price tag on a Homer engraving and having to sell it for $170 instead of $1,700. Maggie doesn't intend for that to happen again, and she doesn't intend to worry about murder. This show's security is tight. But she can't help observing her colleagues with fresh eyes. Some, Eke Gussie White in the booth next door, are dear friends, and Gussie's assistant, her twenty-year-old nephew, Ben, who has Down's syndrome, is a delightful new acquaintance. Others, however, even people she's known for years, suddenly seem suspect. The opening night wine has hardly stopped flowing when death claims another victim. Maggie will still sell a few antique prints, but she'll spend most of her time looking for a killer and trying to save a vulnerable young friend. Will Maggie herself become a potential victim? The answer may be in one of Maggie's prints, but she has hundreds in her booth. Where should she begin? With its riveting behind-the-scenes glimpse of antiques shows and its revealing data on antique-print values, Shadows at the Fair introduces a captivating new series that unveils the powerful mysteries of antique prints even as it entertains.