Description

Falling in between the dark days of the Great Depression and World War II, the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair offered a refreshing prediction for “the World of Tomorrow”. There were exciting demonstrations of robot servants, computerized highways, color photography, and a new invention called television. Visitors could tour the latest in model homes, enjoy the marvel of air-conditioning, and watch the newest streamlined steam locomotive in action. America’s largest corporations joined forces with nations from around the world to showcase the wonders of a future that was sure to come. There was also a display of past technical marvels, international culture and cuisine, and plenty of the innovative architecture that is a large part of these international expositions. Vintage photographs, most never published before, showcased what has been lauded as the most memorable world’s fair of all time.

Bill Cotter is a longtime world’s fair enthusiast and has traveled to many of these international exhibitions. The author of 11 other books on fairs for Arcadia Publishing, he is a frequent contributor to other books, magazines, and documentaries on the world’s fairs and has spoken extensively on the subject. His photograph collection of the world’s fairs, the worlds largest has been featured in museum exhibits, and he operates two popular websites devoted to the fairs.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.