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Peter Bacon Hales
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Spectacle in the White City: The Chicago 1893 World's Fair (Calla Editions) Hardcover – February 26, 2009

by Stanley Appelbaum (Author), Peter B. Hales (Introduction)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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Over 27 million people visited the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Countless more experienced the fair through the wondrous images of C. D. Arnold, the era's foremost architectural photographer. Through his luminous pictures, Arnold became the event's leading historian, publicist, and visual philosopher. This gallery of Arnold's photographs, painstakingly retouched to achieve a new radiance, presents a magnificent tribute to the "White City" of shining Beaux-Arts buildings.
In addition to its visual tour of the Exposition's extensive buildings and grounds, this lavish book also celebrates a city that treasures its architecture. The classical Greek and Roman design expressed by the Chicago World's Fair defined the course of American monumental building for decades to come, and the text accompanying these historic photographs provides fascinating interpretations of the Exposition's influence on American building styles and tastes. From conception to closing day and beyond, Spectacle in the White City offers glimpses of past splendor that will be treasured by Chicagoans, history buffs, and lovers of fine art and photography.
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  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Calla Editions
  4. Publication date
    February 26, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    12 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1606600060
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1606600061
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Calla Editions; Revised edition (February 26, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1606600060
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1606600061
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.93 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12 x 0.75 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

About the author

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Peter Bacon Hales

Peter Bacon Hales

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Born and raised in rural Connecticut, Peter Bacon Hales graduated from Haverford College. After a short period in New York as a photographer, writer and musician, he moved to Texas, where he studied with the photographers Russell Lee and Garry Winogrand and the cultural historians William H. Goetzmann and William Stott, receiving MA and Ph.D. degrees in American Civilization. While in Texas, he was a part of Austin's rich music scene, playing pedal steel guitar in c&w bands and lead guitar in the Texas Express, a Chicano-conjunto-rock quartet based in Lockhart, Texas. After living and photographing in San Francisco and Los Angeles, he completed his first book, SILVER CITIES: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN URBANIZATION, which was published by Temple University Press in 1984, winning a number of academic and writing prizes. Since that time he has written essays and books looking at aspects of the American cultural landscape, from the American West to the postwar suburbs. ATOMIC SPACES: LIVING ON THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, published in 1999, won the Hoover Prize and was runner-up for the Parkman Prize in American History. Long out of print and in demand, his seminal SILVER CITIES was republished in a vastly expanded and revised form by the University of New Mexico Press in 2006. OUTSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN: THE DREAM OF AMERICA FROM HIROSHIMA TO NOW (The University of Chicago Press, 2014) combines his interests in newsreels, the movies, television, popular music, the American counterculture, and the virtual world. For many years a faculty member in the School of Art and Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he has collaborated with photographers, writers and scholars in Chicago and across the globe on writing, visual, and web-based projects. He was the founding director of UIC's American Studies Institute, which ran programs for teachers and scholars around the globe. Currently, he lives and writes from a small farm in Stone Ridge, New York.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Glenda Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Volume About the Columbia Exposition to Add to My Collection!
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2015
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I try to collect all things about the 1893 Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair) and so far have amassed a pretty good amount of material. I have been fortunate going to auctions and periodically finding old, authentic books written about the fair, which were current in 1893 or 1894, giving a good idea of what the area was like, the effort that went into the buildings and landscape, etc. I received this particular book yesterday and have not yet read it, although I did flip quickly through the pages - it looks fabulous. I am always looking for pictorial accounts from the fair, during the construction, during the time the people flocked (it was one of the largest fairs attended with 27 million attendees) and any other interesting history of the fair itself. This book, no doubt, will be an important added volume to my collection, and no doubt will feature many great photos and intriguing history of the fair. As an added comment, if anyone is interested in what was going on during the fair, in addition to the fair itself, I highly recommend Erik Larson's "The Devil In The White City" as a companion-like book that gives the audience a peek at behind the scenes history that is usually not mentioned in other World's Fair books!
15 people found this helpful
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KCB
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018
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Bought this because I read The Devil in the White City (which by the way if you haven’t read - read it! It’s an awesome book!) I was obsessed with finding pics of the worlds fair since I lived in Chicago and there are very few pics to be found. So happy to find this book and it was cool to go through and look at the pictures as I was rereading the book. This book and my copy of The Devil in the White City are currently making the rounds through family.
9 people found this helpful
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Marsha W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and plentiful photos
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2020
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I enjoyed this book so much. There are beautiful and plentiful photos and enough written information to make it a good read. Its a great addition to my books on the Columbian exposition of 1893.
2 people found this helpful
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William T. Little
5.0 out of 5 stars The White City - a magical place!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2020
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A wonderful book! A visual portal for peering into a magical city that endured for only a few months. The author did a marvelous job - amazing photographs.
One person found this helpful
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Vulcan Nomad
5.0 out of 5 stars this book shows Excellent detailed photos and good brief history
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017
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If you're interested about The 1893 Chicago World Fair, this book shows Excellent detailed photos and good brief history. I got interested in it by reading the Devil in the White City, Highly recommend.
3 people found this helpful
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Dr. Martin Gonzalez
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about a slice of history in America
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2012
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After reading "Devil in the White City" I wanted to know what the Chicago world exposition really looked like as millions of people saw Chicago! This is a beautiful book of photographs taken as the "white city" was being built and as visitors arrived. The sizes of buildings are amazing!
You don't have to read "Devil..." to appreciate what was done for this event!
16 people found this helpful
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Al G.
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent book to complement "The Devil in the White City"
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2016
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This is an excellent book to complement "The Devil in the White City". The images of the Worlds Fair pavilions are absolutely jaw dropping.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

David Gwynne
5.0 out of 5 stars A blast from the past
Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2015
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Lovely book and very prompt shipping.
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