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Twilight at the World of Tomorrow : Genius, Madness, Murder, and the 1939 World's Fair on the Brink of War
Twilight at the World of Tomorrow : Genius, Madness, Murder, and the 1939 World's Fair on the Brink of War
401 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
February 12, 2024
James Mauro apparently wanted to write a novel set at the 1939 World's Fair, but found his background research so fascinating that he decided to write a non-fiction story about the fair. It reads much like a novel and will disappoint anyone looking for a standard history. He winds several plot narratives as one would in a novel and develops many of the characters beyond what is expected in most history narratives. He drops in enough famous people to give context to the era and made me feel disappointment in not having been able to attend the fair.
October 11, 2010
I really enjoyed this accounting of the 1939 World Fair in New York City. The story behind this extravagant affair seems a good mix of the best and the worst of humanity. It was planned with the best intentions -- a place dedicated to peace and an optimistic future. But it wound up being a microcosm of the world at large as it struggled with the Great Depression and was looking at another World War. The grand opening of the Fair in 1939 seemed to be a foreshadowing of how the event would go -- the morning was humid, then rainy, and the evening's grand finale was marred by a blackout. Mauro takes the reader through the glitz and glamor -- as well as the folly of the huge Fair. It seems like a grand showcase -- some of the features, such as GM's display and the robot -- would be impressive I think even by today's standards. But then there were less well-thought out events, such as the baby crawling race in 1940 (a story that is both funny and unfunny), and then there were the tensions and bomb threats which included the detonation of a bomb that killed two (and the fact that it was only two is nothing short of a miracle). The book is peppered with memorable people, not in the least is Albert Einstein, forced to flee his native Germany due to the rise of Nazism. Mauro also concentrates on Grover Whalen, the president of the fair, a man famous in his day for his grand parades (he took the ticker tape parade and expanded on it; one of his best known celebrations was for Charles Lindbergh. Whalen is by turns portrayed as a genius -- which he was when it came to promotions -- and a bit over the top with his ideas.
August 11, 2010
This fascinating book might be re-titled "the life and times of the 1939 New York World's Fair", as it gives an extensive history of the fair itself but also adds in the critically important context of the era, including the ramping up of the world towards global war, the aftermath of the Great Depression, and Albert Einstein's tragic, messy exile from his homeland and tangential association with the Manhattan project.
In a broader sense it captures the mood and struggle of all of America at the beginning of the 1940s, with its confused path out of poverty into wealth, and isolationism to Big Brother global policy. The book is also a sad reminder (and in fact at the end of the book the author says as much himself, in an aside) that the world just doesn't make characters like this anymore. The giant personalities in this book, just a few generations old, already seem mythical in their courage, power and outlandish excesses. We no longer have politicians this dashing, businessmen this outrageously principled, or villains this evil. The stage of the modern world seems pale and small compared to the grand drama that takes place within the pages of this book.
I had a few minor issues with the writing style, mostly the author's insistence on putting little thoughts and feelings into his "characters'" heads that he felt were dramatically appropriate but which can only be his own inventions. He states in the afterword that he had originally intended to write this story as a historical novel, and I think these insertions are the remaining vestiges of that change. In my opinion it detracts a little, but since it was fairly obvious whenever he was doing it is was easy enough to separate the history from the creative license.
Still and all, highly recommended by this dork.
In a broader sense it captures the mood and struggle of all of America at the beginning of the 1940s, with its confused path out of poverty into wealth, and isolationism to Big Brother global policy. The book is also a sad reminder (and in fact at the end of the book the author says as much himself, in an aside) that the world just doesn't make characters like this anymore. The giant personalities in this book, just a few generations old, already seem mythical in their courage, power and outlandish excesses. We no longer have politicians this dashing, businessmen this outrageously principled, or villains this evil. The stage of the modern world seems pale and small compared to the grand drama that takes place within the pages of this book.
I had a few minor issues with the writing style, mostly the author's insistence on putting little thoughts and feelings into his "characters'" heads that he felt were dramatically appropriate but which can only be his own inventions. He states in the afterword that he had originally intended to write this story as a historical novel, and I think these insertions are the remaining vestiges of that change. In my opinion it detracts a little, but since it was fairly obvious whenever he was doing it is was easy enough to separate the history from the creative license.
Still and all, highly recommended by this dork.
August 17, 2023
If it’s possible to be nostalgic about a time before one is born, then this author brought that out in me. There’s something magical about a World’s Fair, it’s a dream in itself The New York City ‘World of Tomorrow’ opening in 1938 was born in the most contrary of times. After some recovery, the USA was sliding back into the depression, Asia and Europe tottered on the brink of all out war, the planned location was a vast uninhabitable swamp, Fairs are outrageously expensive, only a wild gamble to make promised money and despite massive unemployment, the labor unions promised to charge exorbitant fees for every activity.
The perfect photograph opens each chapter setting the tone. Author Mauro threads together various personalities making a compelling tale.
- A pair of NYC bomb squad detectives: it’s an era that if you don’t have time to write a letter to the editor, apparently you call in a bomb threat. There are hundreds every week and the Fair is a focal point with the many nations, politics and visibility involved, and each threat must be checked out. One could always be real.
- Albert Einstein: to his surprise and confounding, his genius made him an international celebrity and as his visions were of the future, he was drawn to the Fair by interest, invitation, and by the Jewish groups that wanted him to speak out against the world situation with Germany.
- Grover Whalen - despite being the most prominent character in the book and in the NYC for 20 years, his name has not stood the test of time. We don’t know of him today, so it was keen to learn of of this businessman, politician at times, and most of all an expert organizer and promoter; there were songs written about him, if there was a TMZ he would have been on it 3 times a week, he was flamboyant, bombastic, a tireless worker, could spend money like water, never missed a photo opportunity, and the NYC media loved him, and loved to mock him, the perfect combo. Despite or because, of all this, if you wanted to get things done, you bit the bullet and signed up Grover Whalen to create your World of Tomorrow.
The narrative struggles a bit keeping all the threads current in telling the tale, for example the bomb squad detectives make an early arrival, then aren’t heard from for a long while, but it’s still all a good read !
The perfect photograph opens each chapter setting the tone. Author Mauro threads together various personalities making a compelling tale.
- A pair of NYC bomb squad detectives: it’s an era that if you don’t have time to write a letter to the editor, apparently you call in a bomb threat. There are hundreds every week and the Fair is a focal point with the many nations, politics and visibility involved, and each threat must be checked out. One could always be real.
- Albert Einstein: to his surprise and confounding, his genius made him an international celebrity and as his visions were of the future, he was drawn to the Fair by interest, invitation, and by the Jewish groups that wanted him to speak out against the world situation with Germany.
- Grover Whalen - despite being the most prominent character in the book and in the NYC for 20 years, his name has not stood the test of time. We don’t know of him today, so it was keen to learn of of this businessman, politician at times, and most of all an expert organizer and promoter; there were songs written about him, if there was a TMZ he would have been on it 3 times a week, he was flamboyant, bombastic, a tireless worker, could spend money like water, never missed a photo opportunity, and the NYC media loved him, and loved to mock him, the perfect combo. Despite or because, of all this, if you wanted to get things done, you bit the bullet and signed up Grover Whalen to create your World of Tomorrow.
The narrative struggles a bit keeping all the threads current in telling the tale, for example the bomb squad detectives make an early arrival, then aren’t heard from for a long while, but it’s still all a good read !
February 19, 2013
Both the media and Goodreads reviews tend to compare this title unfavorably with "Devil In The White City" by Eric Larson, which strikes me as unfair. While I read and adored that bestselling book, its chief focus was on the mass murderer H.H. Holmes and his grisly career in Chicago, which coincided with that city's Great Exposition of 1893. The history of that fair's legendary "White City" was compellingly woven into what essentially was a gripping 'True Crime' story.
James Munro is after something quite different in "Twilight at the World of Tomorrow", and he has written a fascinating account of the 1939 New York World's Fair which should captivate any fan of New York City history. In recounting the story of the fair's conception, birth pangs, and the incredible exposition itself, we follow the stories of a number of the major -- and some minor, but famous -- players in its story. These include titans like Robert Moses, Fiorello LaGuardia and Alfred Einstein, and also that now largely forgotten major player on the New York scene, the colorful impresario Grover Whalen. A touching note is introduced in the stories of Joe Lynch and Freddie Socha, two NYC police officers on the bomb squad whose lives eventually also tragically intersect with the World's Fair. Meanwhile the ordered and utopian "World Of Tomorrow" that the fair presented is juxtaposed with the dark chaos of the approaching war in Europe, which would have an impact no one foresaw at the Fair's inception. Munro's writing is vivid and evocative, and he deftly interweaves all these strands into a compelling picture of that specific time and place.
It may have been an editorial decision to include 'madness' and 'murder' in the subtitle, to grab the attention of Larsen's wide readership; in doing so they've done Munro a disservice, judging by the frequent comparison. While there is one murder recounted in the book, it is incidental to the overall story, and madmen are sorely lacking (excepting perhaps an anonymous bomber, or the Fascist dictators who cast their shadow over the fair's sunny future.) Nevertheless I found "Twilight' to be a real page-turner, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone with some interest in the subject.
James Munro is after something quite different in "Twilight at the World of Tomorrow", and he has written a fascinating account of the 1939 New York World's Fair which should captivate any fan of New York City history. In recounting the story of the fair's conception, birth pangs, and the incredible exposition itself, we follow the stories of a number of the major -- and some minor, but famous -- players in its story. These include titans like Robert Moses, Fiorello LaGuardia and Alfred Einstein, and also that now largely forgotten major player on the New York scene, the colorful impresario Grover Whalen. A touching note is introduced in the stories of Joe Lynch and Freddie Socha, two NYC police officers on the bomb squad whose lives eventually also tragically intersect with the World's Fair. Meanwhile the ordered and utopian "World Of Tomorrow" that the fair presented is juxtaposed with the dark chaos of the approaching war in Europe, which would have an impact no one foresaw at the Fair's inception. Munro's writing is vivid and evocative, and he deftly interweaves all these strands into a compelling picture of that specific time and place.
It may have been an editorial decision to include 'madness' and 'murder' in the subtitle, to grab the attention of Larsen's wide readership; in doing so they've done Munro a disservice, judging by the frequent comparison. While there is one murder recounted in the book, it is incidental to the overall story, and madmen are sorely lacking (excepting perhaps an anonymous bomber, or the Fascist dictators who cast their shadow over the fair's sunny future.) Nevertheless I found "Twilight' to be a real page-turner, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone with some interest in the subject.
January 25, 2019
What’s that old saying, “Dream no small dreams”? The men who designed, built, and ran the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City were dreamers on an epic scale, and not only dreamers but men of action and ambition who transformed a swampy dump into one of the wonders of the world in just three years. The site, which would become known as Flushing Meadows, was then called the Corona Dumps, with giant hills of ash over a hundred feet tall from the dozens of trains filled with refuse that arrived every day.
Putting on the Fair required visionaries, but it also needed hard nosed bankers to raise the tens of millions of dollars required, an especially difficult task since the country was just starting to emerge from the Depression. The great dream was that it would attract millions of visitors and pour upwards of a billion dollars into the city in the form of hotel, restaurant, and entertainment spending. As the construction costs kept rising, so too did the backers’ claims for what the fair would do – it would attract 40 million visitors, no, 50 million, no, 60 million. No small dreams, indeed.
There is a curious gap in the book’s narrative. Once the construction crews started their twenty-four hours a day renovation of the dump site, and once the Fair had secured commitments from a number of countries and corporations to build pavilions, suddenly the Fair was built and opening day was near. The engineering required to create the site must have been a huge undertaking. Did they have to sink thousands of pilings down to the bedrock, or did they somehow drain the wetlands? The book doesn’t say how it was accomplished.
The men behind the Fair were outsized personalities: Grover Whalen, the guiding light behind the project, never met a parade he didn’t want to join. His passion for showmanship was coupled with a spendthrift approach that completely blew up the Fair’s budgets. He had his own private honor guard of twenty-four Native America horseback riders equipped with lances; he required Fair policemen to salute him, and he was always to be addressed as “Mr. President.” Someone as out of touch with reality as he was would seem to be a terrible choice for the Fair’s top job, but somehow he got everything built and made it through the first year of operation.
Robert Moses was New York City’s master builder. He built on a grand scale, and much of the city still bears his imprint. He also refused to let anyone or anything stand in his way, and a great many of the city’s historic buildings and neighborhoods were razed to suit his plans. He wanted Flushing Meadows for a grand park, which he referred to as the new Versailles, and his assistance in preparing the Fair site was always contingent on tearing everything down once it was over and creating the park that would be his crowning achievement.
The completed Fair was a wonder to behold, with its buildings packed with the latest in science and technology, to fulfill the motto of Building the World of Tomorrow. The sixteen minute Futurama ride by General Motors, which showed their vision of the future world of 1960 – automobile based, of course –was so realistic that it often had a three hour wait, and some viewers thought they had actually been shrunk down to miniature size and put into the model. That was Virtual Reality eighty years before most people had ever heard the term.
There were exhibits by countries, by the states, by major and minor manufacturing companies, restaurants, fair rides, shows, and, over in the Amusements area, nude women to be ogled. It was an amazing place, and it was estimated that people would need three visits to see it all.
Although the Fair’s vision for itself was as a beacon of peace and cooperation, the clouds of war were quickly gathering. Of the countries that had pavilions the first year, many had been overrun by the second, including France, Norway, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Along with these ominous portents of global conflict the book weaves in the story of Albert Einstein and his attempts to alert the U.S. government to the threat of Nazi Germany developing an atomic bomb. After much prodding the government finally did begin what would become the Manhattan Project, which was formally started December 6th, 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor. Once the war was over and it became clear that the Nazis had never been anywhere near the successful creation of the bomb, Einstein bitterly regretted that he had helped set the world on a path that could lead to its destruction.
The other narrative thread that gets folded into the Fair is the story of two detectives from New York City’s bomb and fraud squad. The pre-war years were a time of great social and political unrest, and bombs and bomb threats were frequent. These conflicts often became violent: labor versus management, Communist and Fascist agitators, Irish nationalists, Jewish groups opposed Britain’s policies in Palestine. All had grievances, and all had motives for causing mayhem. The police had an almost impossible task protecting the city and the Fairgoers but they approached their job with great dedication.
By the second year of the Fair it was obvious that it would never be a financial success, and there was a race to cut costs to try to limit the losses. The bean counters took over, and tried to attract more visitors by increasing the fun quotient of the attractions, but, as someone remarked, the magic of the first year was gone.
And then it was over. Only one building was left, which still stands today. Everything else was pulled down and sold off for whatever the Fair’s backers could get to try to recoup their investments. There are a number of videos of the Fair online, and they are worth watching if only to get a feel for the splendor and the vision that it represented, a brighter world of tomorrow on the far side of depression and war, the glittering promise of the wonderful world of the 60s that was surely coming. Surely.
Putting on the Fair required visionaries, but it also needed hard nosed bankers to raise the tens of millions of dollars required, an especially difficult task since the country was just starting to emerge from the Depression. The great dream was that it would attract millions of visitors and pour upwards of a billion dollars into the city in the form of hotel, restaurant, and entertainment spending. As the construction costs kept rising, so too did the backers’ claims for what the fair would do – it would attract 40 million visitors, no, 50 million, no, 60 million. No small dreams, indeed.
There is a curious gap in the book’s narrative. Once the construction crews started their twenty-four hours a day renovation of the dump site, and once the Fair had secured commitments from a number of countries and corporations to build pavilions, suddenly the Fair was built and opening day was near. The engineering required to create the site must have been a huge undertaking. Did they have to sink thousands of pilings down to the bedrock, or did they somehow drain the wetlands? The book doesn’t say how it was accomplished.
The men behind the Fair were outsized personalities: Grover Whalen, the guiding light behind the project, never met a parade he didn’t want to join. His passion for showmanship was coupled with a spendthrift approach that completely blew up the Fair’s budgets. He had his own private honor guard of twenty-four Native America horseback riders equipped with lances; he required Fair policemen to salute him, and he was always to be addressed as “Mr. President.” Someone as out of touch with reality as he was would seem to be a terrible choice for the Fair’s top job, but somehow he got everything built and made it through the first year of operation.
Robert Moses was New York City’s master builder. He built on a grand scale, and much of the city still bears his imprint. He also refused to let anyone or anything stand in his way, and a great many of the city’s historic buildings and neighborhoods were razed to suit his plans. He wanted Flushing Meadows for a grand park, which he referred to as the new Versailles, and his assistance in preparing the Fair site was always contingent on tearing everything down once it was over and creating the park that would be his crowning achievement.
The completed Fair was a wonder to behold, with its buildings packed with the latest in science and technology, to fulfill the motto of Building the World of Tomorrow. The sixteen minute Futurama ride by General Motors, which showed their vision of the future world of 1960 – automobile based, of course –was so realistic that it often had a three hour wait, and some viewers thought they had actually been shrunk down to miniature size and put into the model. That was Virtual Reality eighty years before most people had ever heard the term.
There were exhibits by countries, by the states, by major and minor manufacturing companies, restaurants, fair rides, shows, and, over in the Amusements area, nude women to be ogled. It was an amazing place, and it was estimated that people would need three visits to see it all.
Although the Fair’s vision for itself was as a beacon of peace and cooperation, the clouds of war were quickly gathering. Of the countries that had pavilions the first year, many had been overrun by the second, including France, Norway, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Along with these ominous portents of global conflict the book weaves in the story of Albert Einstein and his attempts to alert the U.S. government to the threat of Nazi Germany developing an atomic bomb. After much prodding the government finally did begin what would become the Manhattan Project, which was formally started December 6th, 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor. Once the war was over and it became clear that the Nazis had never been anywhere near the successful creation of the bomb, Einstein bitterly regretted that he had helped set the world on a path that could lead to its destruction.
The other narrative thread that gets folded into the Fair is the story of two detectives from New York City’s bomb and fraud squad. The pre-war years were a time of great social and political unrest, and bombs and bomb threats were frequent. These conflicts often became violent: labor versus management, Communist and Fascist agitators, Irish nationalists, Jewish groups opposed Britain’s policies in Palestine. All had grievances, and all had motives for causing mayhem. The police had an almost impossible task protecting the city and the Fairgoers but they approached their job with great dedication.
By the second year of the Fair it was obvious that it would never be a financial success, and there was a race to cut costs to try to limit the losses. The bean counters took over, and tried to attract more visitors by increasing the fun quotient of the attractions, but, as someone remarked, the magic of the first year was gone.
And then it was over. Only one building was left, which still stands today. Everything else was pulled down and sold off for whatever the Fair’s backers could get to try to recoup their investments. There are a number of videos of the Fair online, and they are worth watching if only to get a feel for the splendor and the vision that it represented, a brighter world of tomorrow on the far side of depression and war, the glittering promise of the wonderful world of the 60s that was surely coming. Surely.
February 24, 2018
I ran kind of hot and cold on this one. There were interesting factoids - I had no idea that Heinz started as a pickle king! Or that Einstein wasn't asked to assist on the Manhattan Project because some nut jobs determined/decided that he would not be a loyal American citizen. He became a citizen during the course of the last year of the Fair.
I appreciated the machinations regarding putting on the Fair, Grover Whelan (official greeter of NYC), Robert Moses, etc. Too bad about the cops but I would have appreciated more information about the bombing, the police work to find the perpetrator - the reward is still out there, still unsolved.
I liked the description of the Futurama exhibit - I well remember going to Futurama at the 1964 New York World's Fair, at the same location.
I appreciated the machinations regarding putting on the Fair, Grover Whelan (official greeter of NYC), Robert Moses, etc. Too bad about the cops but I would have appreciated more information about the bombing, the police work to find the perpetrator - the reward is still out there, still unsolved.
I liked the description of the Futurama exhibit - I well remember going to Futurama at the 1964 New York World's Fair, at the same location.
February 12, 2017
Don't take too much notice of my review...as a Brit I just don't think there was enough of a 'local' connection to any of the characters that populate this book to hold my interest. I also think that I had expectations of this book that it would never have lived up to.
I wanted to know more about the fair, the exhibits, the reaction of the public. I enjoyed some of the descriptions of how they worked by committee, how they worked out how to finance the fair and what the cost/benefit might look like.
I liked the chapter about Einstein, his persecution and how he ended up in America but there wasn't much more about him in the rest of the book so I'm not sure why he was included.
I gave up on this one due to lack of interest.
I wanted to know more about the fair, the exhibits, the reaction of the public. I enjoyed some of the descriptions of how they worked by committee, how they worked out how to finance the fair and what the cost/benefit might look like.
I liked the chapter about Einstein, his persecution and how he ended up in America but there wasn't much more about him in the rest of the book so I'm not sure why he was included.
I gave up on this one due to lack of interest.
February 27, 2011
I'm not surprised to learn the author originally intended to write a novel, but changed his plans when his agent and mentor suggested he write it as nonfiction instead. This history of the 1939 New York World's Fair is so well written that it wraps you up in the lives and feelings of the numerous historical characters. It's so compelling that you care what happens to the major figures—such as Grover Whalen and Albert Einstein—and even the not-so-famous folks—such as the 2 policemen on New York City's Bomb and Forgery Squad. That so much money was spent to create such a temporary display as the 1939 New York World's Fair is amazing. One of the best books I've read was Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City" and this book reminds me so much of that one in scope and tone, and in the contrast of such high ideals and low realities. Since I grew up going to Disneyland and later Disney World, I was intrigued to learn about how much this fair inspired Walt Disney to create his amusement parks (though Mauro doesn't mention that in the book). The descriptions of the fair dioramas reminded me of early Disneyland exhibits—from Futurama to the World of Tomorrow—and the fair's international pavilions of the later buildings and themes from Disney World. Great book, fascinating subject!
July 26, 2010
While the title is overly sensationalist, the book was very interesting and I learned a lot about both the World's Fair and the period. I had never read, for instance, about how the start of the war affected the fair (with Russia shutting down its pavilion, for instance, and shipping it all back home). Mauro shows how the fair was financed and how low turnstile numbers affected profits, or lack thereof. Speculation that non-New Yorkers weren't visiting because they were intimidated by the city or afraid of the cost of visiting, gave me a new perspective. An interesting cast of characters.
March 10, 2012
One of my big regrets is that I did not get to see the World of Tomorrow in 1939. But since I was still thirty-one years away from being born, I can forgive myself. But man, I wish I could have been there. This book gives you a limited chance to see what it was all about, and it throws in a bit of drama about bombings at the fair. The real drama is played out in the political arena as the world comes together to pledge peace at the World's Fair and ends up facing off in one of the most distructive wars in all of history.
Wonderful book.
Wonderful book.
July 28, 2025
The World Of Tomorrow - envisioned by General Motors in their Futurama exhibit as a 1960's landscape plastered with 14 lane highways, towers connected by elevated sidewalks, and serene suburbs extending for miles beyond. A fitting exhibit to be featured in a New York World's Fair park designed by none other than Robert Moses, the inventor of the modern freeway.
Unfortunately for the fair, the beautiful utopia would be utterly destroyed by the onset of WWII and the abysmal fall of many nations represented at the fair. Bankruptcy and war would cause the impressive feat to fall into general obscurity over the decades.
Little did they know, WWII would go on to catapult the 1960's vision of America into a reality.
This was an incredibly interesting book to digest, between the fair's creation, the war, Albert Einstein, Robert Moses, and many other stories intertwined with the spectacular rise and fall of a short lived period of American optimism.
Unfortunately for the fair, the beautiful utopia would be utterly destroyed by the onset of WWII and the abysmal fall of many nations represented at the fair. Bankruptcy and war would cause the impressive feat to fall into general obscurity over the decades.
Little did they know, WWII would go on to catapult the 1960's vision of America into a reality.
This was an incredibly interesting book to digest, between the fair's creation, the war, Albert Einstein, Robert Moses, and many other stories intertwined with the spectacular rise and fall of a short lived period of American optimism.
March 23, 2018
I started this book several years ago and due to life and such it went into the pile by the bed. Recently, I picked it up again and read late into the night. Twilight is one of the most well written and highly researched books I've read in a long time. It's a fascinating view of a period and time in our history. There are terrific portraits of characters--some known and quite a few I of whom I had never heard. The descriptions of the exhibits was particularly eye-opening and the juxtaposition of the focus on the future with the encroaching threat of war lends a dramatic tone. I loved the way the author brought in the details of everyday life including the weather that gave the book a sense of presence rather than a dry tome of facts. That kind of detail puts you into the time and place of 1939 in New York. Highly recommend.
August 30, 2017
The New York World's Fair is one of those things many have heard about since childhood, but actually know nothing about. Before reading this book, I knew absolutely nothing about the World's Fair in New York in 1939 & 1940, but now I feel like I know almost everything. I also now know all about a man called Grover Whalen. Grover Whalen was like an official greeter for the city of New York, and use to plan ticket tape parades for the likes of Charles Lindbergh. Next, he became police commissioner, the target of many jokes. Then, he got the job of running the World's Fair.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this World's Fair was the presence during the first summer of foreign countries. Many countries spent a great deal of money to have a pavilion at the fair representing their nation. Mr. Mauro even describes a conversation between Grover Whalen and Mussolini, where Mr. Whalen convinces Mussolini to appropriate $5 million dollars to the Italy pavilion. In the end, 62 nations signed on, with 22 having pavilions. Sadly, by the second summer of the fair, Hitler had smashed across Europe, ending the participation of many of the countries. People would gather in some of the pavilions, such as the one for Poland, and talk and pray for the fallen country.
Besides this, there were all sorts of other things going on at the World's Fair from typical country fair activities, to futuristic models and inventions that actually would become a reality in the United States . . . but only after WWII ended. It was like an image of the suburbs to come in the 1950's and 1960's. There were also all sorts of problems at the fair, such as bombings. Those actually were going on in New York before the fair, mainly it seems between labor unions. Two members of the bomb squad are focused on throughout the book . . . two whose luck sadly ran out at the fair. And they had only joined the force, because the depression ended their college careers. One had been studying to be a doctor, one a pharmacist. Also, repeatedly mentioned throughout the book was Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. What an interesting man.
Some believe Mr. Mauro's book went off in so many directions that he didn't successfully pull it all together. I think he did a terrific job pulling it all together. He does take liberties . . . he was at first going to write a fiction book about the fair . . . but he takes a lot less liberties than so many other non-fiction authors do these days. I know so much more now and painlessly learned it; not only about the 1939 New York World's Fair, but about many other things going on during that time period, as well as about the history of New York City.
P.S. The book also has some terrific pictures. But stand forewarned--the bombing picture from the front page of the Daily News is not a pretty sight. It is horrific. The children of the two police officers who were killed may still be alive, and may want to read this book since it features their fathers. They do not need to see that picture. No one needs to see that picture.
(Note: I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)
One of the most fascinating aspects of this World's Fair was the presence during the first summer of foreign countries. Many countries spent a great deal of money to have a pavilion at the fair representing their nation. Mr. Mauro even describes a conversation between Grover Whalen and Mussolini, where Mr. Whalen convinces Mussolini to appropriate $5 million dollars to the Italy pavilion. In the end, 62 nations signed on, with 22 having pavilions. Sadly, by the second summer of the fair, Hitler had smashed across Europe, ending the participation of many of the countries. People would gather in some of the pavilions, such as the one for Poland, and talk and pray for the fallen country.
Besides this, there were all sorts of other things going on at the World's Fair from typical country fair activities, to futuristic models and inventions that actually would become a reality in the United States . . . but only after WWII ended. It was like an image of the suburbs to come in the 1950's and 1960's. There were also all sorts of problems at the fair, such as bombings. Those actually were going on in New York before the fair, mainly it seems between labor unions. Two members of the bomb squad are focused on throughout the book . . . two whose luck sadly ran out at the fair. And they had only joined the force, because the depression ended their college careers. One had been studying to be a doctor, one a pharmacist. Also, repeatedly mentioned throughout the book was Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. What an interesting man.
Some believe Mr. Mauro's book went off in so many directions that he didn't successfully pull it all together. I think he did a terrific job pulling it all together. He does take liberties . . . he was at first going to write a fiction book about the fair . . . but he takes a lot less liberties than so many other non-fiction authors do these days. I know so much more now and painlessly learned it; not only about the 1939 New York World's Fair, but about many other things going on during that time period, as well as about the history of New York City.
P.S. The book also has some terrific pictures. But stand forewarned--the bombing picture from the front page of the Daily News is not a pretty sight. It is horrific. The children of the two police officers who were killed may still be alive, and may want to read this book since it features their fathers. They do not need to see that picture. No one needs to see that picture.
(Note: I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)
March 28, 2016
How the 1939 NY Worlds Fair got built and totally crashed, somewhat due to the war. I saw this in a bookstore years ago and always wanted to read it. It sort of lived up to its potential. I always knew about the awesome things that debuted here (television, for one. Faxing. Synthetic speech, the precurser to AAC) but I didn't realize that it was such a disappointment and that it failed it just about every way possible.
I enjoyed reading about the Fair itself, and how it was built. Whalen was an interesting character--couldn't believe he gave himself a $100,000 salary for running it, though. Even when he cut back to $75,000. In 1939 money! That's more than I make now, in 2016 money. Which gives you an idea of how he thought the Fair should be run! He threw way too much money at it. (And the guy who took over for him spent too little. Moderation, dudes.)
It was also interesting how the Fair tied to the World War, and how Whalen thought the Fair could stop the war before it started. Instead, the Fair became something of a memorial for many of the represented countries during the 1940 season.
The bits about Einstein felt tacked on. Yes, he opened the Fair and visited a few times. Yes, the war loomed over the Fair. But did we need random pages devoted to him and his feelings about the war and the atomic bombs? It felt so out of place.
I did enjoy following the bomb squad detectives. I should have realized the ending to that, but it took way too long to cotton on. I was pretty astounded by the cover of the Daily News that they reprinted here--very clearly showing the two dead men, burned and mangled and pieces missing. America has always been a country of rubberneckers, I guess, and violence has always been front page news.
Overall, interesting, but I wish it had focused more on the Fair itself at the end, not just the way things went wrong (weather, people staying away, all the bomb threats, the countries backing out). After all the leadup, I wanted to feel like I was there. (Though Walt Disney was clearly inspired; so much of what got described reminds me of things I see and do at Disneyland and World.) What does it look like now? What happened to the foreigners working the Fair who had no countries to return to when it ended? What was it like to be a visitor? It seems like it got a little too splintered at the end.
I enjoyed reading about the Fair itself, and how it was built. Whalen was an interesting character--couldn't believe he gave himself a $100,000 salary for running it, though. Even when he cut back to $75,000. In 1939 money! That's more than I make now, in 2016 money. Which gives you an idea of how he thought the Fair should be run! He threw way too much money at it. (And the guy who took over for him spent too little. Moderation, dudes.)
It was also interesting how the Fair tied to the World War, and how Whalen thought the Fair could stop the war before it started. Instead, the Fair became something of a memorial for many of the represented countries during the 1940 season.
The bits about Einstein felt tacked on. Yes, he opened the Fair and visited a few times. Yes, the war loomed over the Fair. But did we need random pages devoted to him and his feelings about the war and the atomic bombs? It felt so out of place.
I did enjoy following the bomb squad detectives. I should have realized the ending to that, but it took way too long to cotton on. I was pretty astounded by the cover of the Daily News that they reprinted here--very clearly showing the two dead men, burned and mangled and pieces missing. America has always been a country of rubberneckers, I guess, and violence has always been front page news.
Overall, interesting, but I wish it had focused more on the Fair itself at the end, not just the way things went wrong (weather, people staying away, all the bomb threats, the countries backing out). After all the leadup, I wanted to feel like I was there. (Though Walt Disney was clearly inspired; so much of what got described reminds me of things I see and do at Disneyland and World.) What does it look like now? What happened to the foreigners working the Fair who had no countries to return to when it ended? What was it like to be a visitor? It seems like it got a little too splintered at the end.
August 10, 2015
This book caught my eye on a shelf at the library and I thought I'd give it a try. I have also read "The Devil in the White City" (by Erik Larson) about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and enjoyed it a lot, so I was hoping that this would be along the same lines.
Like "Devil," this book follows a couple of different storylines which are all, in turn, influenced by the 1939 New York World's Fair. "Twilight" focuses on the people involved in the fair, and the process of developing and then running the fair, the career and family of a New York policeman of the time, and Albert Einstein as he comes to the United States as a result of rising Nazi persecution. The overall theme also includes the reactions of the above people to the rising tension, violence, and, eventually, war in Europe.
I occasionally found the details of the Fair a little slow reading, and was most interested in Einstein's segments (which is perhaps ironic considering what the author and Einstein have to say about such interest), although many parts describing the Fair were equally interesting and even humorous.
Futurama, "World of Tomorrow," Trylon, and Perisphere - all these elements are intricately and interestingly described while the day-to-day dramas and hiccups of managing the event adds tension and humor to the narrative. Colorful characters abound and are realistically portrayed.
The policeman side story shows interesting developments in the tactics used at the time, and intersects nicely with people and events at the Fair.
Einsteins' part of the story was, probably, my favorite. The author successfully paints him in such a way that I felt that his popularity was deserved.
All together a good book, although I think I enjoyed "Devil in the White City" more. How can anything boring happen at a World's Fair?!
There were a handful of instances of moderate profanity, mostly used to add a feeling of exasperation or dry wit to the text.
Like "Devil," this book follows a couple of different storylines which are all, in turn, influenced by the 1939 New York World's Fair. "Twilight" focuses on the people involved in the fair, and the process of developing and then running the fair, the career and family of a New York policeman of the time, and Albert Einstein as he comes to the United States as a result of rising Nazi persecution. The overall theme also includes the reactions of the above people to the rising tension, violence, and, eventually, war in Europe.
I occasionally found the details of the Fair a little slow reading, and was most interested in Einstein's segments (which is perhaps ironic considering what the author and Einstein have to say about such interest), although many parts describing the Fair were equally interesting and even humorous.
Futurama, "World of Tomorrow," Trylon, and Perisphere - all these elements are intricately and interestingly described while the day-to-day dramas and hiccups of managing the event adds tension and humor to the narrative. Colorful characters abound and are realistically portrayed.
The policeman side story shows interesting developments in the tactics used at the time, and intersects nicely with people and events at the Fair.
Einsteins' part of the story was, probably, my favorite. The author successfully paints him in such a way that I felt that his popularity was deserved.
All together a good book, although I think I enjoyed "Devil in the White City" more. How can anything boring happen at a World's Fair?!
There were a handful of instances of moderate profanity, mostly used to add a feeling of exasperation or dry wit to the text.
December 15, 2019
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
I have to admit to having a fascination with the Worlds Fairs in New York and worried this book would either be an overdramatic novelization or a dry as bone read. I was pleasantly surprised, instead, to find a well written and engrossing true-tale - created by using historical documents as the basis upon which to build the story of the Worlds Fair.After only a few pages, you're hooked as you learn about the persons and personalities behind the 1939 Worlds Fair. Those who thought it up, organized it, worked it, and ultimately the celebrities that visited it. There are a lot of fascinating facts interwoven with the narrative and never once was I bored with the book. The author writes in such a way that you really get a 3-dimensional picture of the people - they are never caricatures or poorly fleshed out. Each feels like someone you might have known and that really makes the read that much more engrossing.
I think it is important to note that this is really about the people behind the fair and not the fair itself. You won't necessarily get a feel of what it was like to be there or experience it - that's for historical or coffee table books. Instead, you'll get a feel of what it was like to live at this time with all the factors that were going on behind the scenes of the build up and then end of the fair.
I was VERY glad to get this and I highly recommend it for history buffs or those who really like the whole idea behind the World Fairs. There is always so much going on behind the scenes and it is clear the author highly researched and really got into the mindset of the people at the time.
Reviewed from an ARC.
January 19, 2017
This is one of those truly great adventures(and btw great read) into the hearts, minds and dreams of huge egos that clash and burn. But oh my the back stories to this Herculean effort to build this dream is so well drawn by Mauro. His narrative weaves a diverse mosaic of characters together that are so well articulated. These lives and stories inevitably intersect But what could have been bogged down with facts comes alive with Mauro's passionate retelling . Every obstacle is detailed with with a heart pounding sense of urgency. The inevitable entry to WW II is coming but till the risk takers believe in their message of "peace" , the act of terrorism that causes good men to die....there are viilians but in the end no heroes. However that may be my prejudice and if you read this you may say I'm, wrong.
so much is out of control in this dream but this author deftly brings you along for the thrill.
more to the point while this story is one of tough journalistic virtue it s a read that takes you to the end with compelling sense of time and place.
so much is out of control in this dream but this author deftly brings you along for the thrill.
more to the point while this story is one of tough journalistic virtue it s a read that takes you to the end with compelling sense of time and place.
December 31, 2010
Such an interesting topic - so mishandled here. A tedious slog.
October 22, 2020
The title is overly sensationalized--there was no real madness and not much murder here--but I suspect someone was trying to entice readers of Devil in the White City, a non-fiction book that included the story of a serial killer taking advantage of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to get victims.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, but once the Fair is really going it picks up.
Albert Einstein didn't actually have that much to do with the Fair, so his sections can feel a bit tacked on, but I suppose the urge to include the man who led to the US developing atomic weapons was too strong, especially as World War II started to disrupt the second year of the World's Fair. I felt that there should've been either more about the two cops or less about them, because there's enough that you're wondering where things are going but not quite enough to really feel it when tragedy strikes them. (I did cry a bit about the bugler's actions afterward. You'll know what I mean if you read it.)
I would've liked more about the work it took to turn the noxious Corona Dump into the fairgrounds and more about exhibits and events at the World's Fair. There are things there I would have loved to see myself, like Futurama, the Trylon, and the Perisphere, but just about everything was torn down afterward. (I live about a fifteen-minute drive... or 46-minute ride by mass transit from the site. This is why so many Queens locals drive. ) What we do get of the World's Fair is entertaining, first during the idealistic, high-concept, big budget first year under the colorful, attention-seeking Grover Whelan's stewardship and then the penny-wise, pound-foolish leadership of skinflint banker Harvey Gibson the second year. Whelan is quite a character, and it's a shame that he's mostly forgotten. He wanted to think that his World's Fair would help world peace, while Gibson desperately wanted to make a buck since attendance wasn't what they'd hoped for. The second year was also marked by the growing war in Europe, as some nations pulled out of having a pavilion at the Fair voluntarily or by changing events as their countries were invaded.
Robert Moses is also part of all this, as he strategized, manipulated, and threw tantrums to try to get his "Versailles" park that would bear his name there after the 1939-40 World's Fair was over.
When people talk about the good old days and more innocent times, they're not taking into account the constant bomb threats in 1939 and 1940--for example, with so many bombs going off (planted by people during union disputes) and seriously injuring people in movie theaters that people stopped going to them for a while--or how popular the nudes and strip shows were at the World's Fair. Or, you know, the start of World War II.
I was amused by the author's outrage over how cynical New Yorkers were about the World's Fair. Really? New Yorkers? Plus, the advertising onslaught for it sounds like it was non-stop.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, but once the Fair is really going it picks up.
Albert Einstein didn't actually have that much to do with the Fair, so his sections can feel a bit tacked on, but I suppose the urge to include the man who led to the US developing atomic weapons was too strong, especially as World War II started to disrupt the second year of the World's Fair. I felt that there should've been either more about the two cops or less about them, because there's enough that you're wondering where things are going but not quite enough to really feel it when tragedy strikes them. (I did cry a bit about the bugler's actions afterward. You'll know what I mean if you read it.)
I would've liked more about the work it took to turn the noxious Corona Dump into the fairgrounds and more about exhibits and events at the World's Fair. There are things there I would have loved to see myself, like Futurama, the Trylon, and the Perisphere, but just about everything was torn down afterward. (I live about a fifteen-minute drive... or 46-minute ride by mass transit from the site. This is why so many Queens locals drive. ) What we do get of the World's Fair is entertaining, first during the idealistic, high-concept, big budget first year under the colorful, attention-seeking Grover Whelan's stewardship and then the penny-wise, pound-foolish leadership of skinflint banker Harvey Gibson the second year. Whelan is quite a character, and it's a shame that he's mostly forgotten. He wanted to think that his World's Fair would help world peace, while Gibson desperately wanted to make a buck since attendance wasn't what they'd hoped for. The second year was also marked by the growing war in Europe, as some nations pulled out of having a pavilion at the Fair voluntarily or by changing events as their countries were invaded.
Robert Moses is also part of all this, as he strategized, manipulated, and threw tantrums to try to get his "Versailles" park that would bear his name there after the 1939-40 World's Fair was over.
When people talk about the good old days and more innocent times, they're not taking into account the constant bomb threats in 1939 and 1940--for example, with so many bombs going off (planted by people during union disputes) and seriously injuring people in movie theaters that people stopped going to them for a while--or how popular the nudes and strip shows were at the World's Fair. Or, you know, the start of World War II.
I was amused by the author's outrage over how cynical New Yorkers were about the World's Fair. Really? New Yorkers? Plus, the advertising onslaught for it sounds like it was non-stop.
June 4, 2024
A somewhat misleading title -- the murder happens as part of a series of bombings that plagued New York, not just the World's Fair, during that period, but it's unclear what the "madness" refers to. The book does include interesting descriptions of the World's Fair and the times in New York as it moved toward war. And the individuals like Grover Whalen, Robert Moses and the police bomb squad members who are included in the story are interesting and Mauro largely keeps his story moving at a rapid pace.
Unfortunately not all of it works -- the sections on Einstein seem oddly prominent given the overall focus of the book, because he did not have any significant connection to the fair beyond making a few brief appearances. And some sections about the business financials of the fair slowed things down a bit. But overall, an interesting read.
Unfortunately not all of it works -- the sections on Einstein seem oddly prominent given the overall focus of the book, because he did not have any significant connection to the fair beyond making a few brief appearances. And some sections about the business financials of the fair slowed things down a bit. But overall, an interesting read.
February 7, 2020
Perhaps the best account of any World’s Fair to date, this book doesn’t skim out on any details, with multiple accounts and perspectives on the events and many colorful characters surrounding the historical event. Plenty of factual descriptions, paired with vivid imagery and poignant opinions that link all of the stages of the Fair, from conception, to foundation, to enactment and even aftermath. Truly a masterpiece from front to back that was engaging and rewarding. Anybody looking for knowledge of the 1939 World Of Tomorrow, or even just a fun read to pass the time, this book is highly recommended.
July 11, 2023
The 1964 New York World's Fair is so well remembered in American history, but this prior fair has been unfairly forgotten. After reading this book, I think this is the fair that I'd want to go to! The author does a great job describing how elaborate and enormous this fair undertaking was -- how incredibly that a garbage dump in Queens was turned into a sparkling "World of Tomorrow" in just a few years! He also weaves in related stories about Einstein and the atomic bomb, and I also liked the personal attention give to one of the police officers who worked in the bomb squad at the fair. A lot of history that I didn't know, and very interestingly presented.
December 6, 2018
Interesting history of the 1939 world's fair. Unfortunately, the topic is in the end not as interesting as one might hope. Mostly this is a tale of Grover Whalen, his high hopes and in the end, the financial failures of the whole thing. Threaded through are stories of a bombing at the fair and Einstein's letter about the bomb to Roosevelt. The latter feels tacked on, not really a part of this story, and the former doesn't get the nice neat resolution we'd get from fiction. Beyond that, it's an interesting slice of New York pre-war culture.
January 17, 2023
I purchased my copy of this book used at the Dickson Street Bookshop in Fayetteville, AR last September. I have long been fascinated with the 1939 New York World's Fair and this book tells its entire story from glorious conception to ignominious demolition with wit and delightful detail. Along the way we meet the larger than life personalities who created or participated: FDR, Albert Einstein, Grover Whalen, Robert Moses, Fiorello La Guardia, the King and Queen of England, and many others. I couldn't put this one down. Five out of five stars.
December 22, 2021
Excellent book about the madness of the 1939-40 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows New York. With the shadow of a world war creeping in, the organizers build a grand fairground over what used to be a garbage heap. Despite spectacular exhibits, the fair struggled to make money, let alone break even. Then came the bomb threats, and actual bombs. It truly is a testament to man's resilience in the face of ruin.
June 3, 2018
In some ways I was thinking this was going to be similar to Devil in the White City, but this story happens to be feed a great deal of information from around the world and the events leading into WWII. My favorite part was probably the details of Albert Einstein and the problems he dealt with coming and living in America.
December 29, 2019
An inside look at the making of the 1939 New York World's Fair, including character studies of the people involved with the making of it. I started out wondering why I should care, and would up being taken back in time, in a detailed (sometimes too detailed) description of what made people tick in those times. Highly recommended for students of the history of those times.
October 6, 2017
Well, this book turned out to be a bust. It had a couple of highlights, but very few. From the title and dust jacket art, I thought this would be similar to Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City.”
On one hand it was. Lots of details about the building and execution of the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. One of the more interesting details that I learned was about its location. Out in Flushing Meadow in the Queens Borough, there was a trash dump. The men behind the fair had it filled in and it became the fairgrounds.
I had hoped to get a glimpse of the genius (considering Albert Einstein is on the cover), and I guess there was some of that…how the technology worked. The Madness stemmed from its president, Grover Whalen, who seemed just a tad OCD. As for the murder, during the second half of the fair, there was a problem with bombings. However, none of how the bombs were found, the destruction they caused or those who lost their lives even began until page 290.
Twilight at the World of Tomorrow gets 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
On one hand it was. Lots of details about the building and execution of the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. One of the more interesting details that I learned was about its location. Out in Flushing Meadow in the Queens Borough, there was a trash dump. The men behind the fair had it filled in and it became the fairgrounds.
I had hoped to get a glimpse of the genius (considering Albert Einstein is on the cover), and I guess there was some of that…how the technology worked. The Madness stemmed from its president, Grover Whalen, who seemed just a tad OCD. As for the murder, during the second half of the fair, there was a problem with bombings. However, none of how the bombs were found, the destruction they caused or those who lost their lives even began until page 290.
Twilight at the World of Tomorrow gets 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
March 1, 2024
I don't know who to blame, the author or the publisher. Most likely the publisher. The title of this book is very misleading, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Forget the subtitle and approach this book as a history of the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The goal was to showcase "The World of Tomorrow" - well, actually, the goal was to make lots of money and bring millions of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars into the city - when a group of men decided it was time to host a World's Fair that would outshine the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and restore New York City's supremacy. Where? On top of a huge landfill in Flushing, Queens. It was doomed from the start. The country was still in the throes of the Great Depression, the effort got off to a late start, it was difficult to raise money, and the world was on the brink of World War II. Even the weather was a disaster, rain on top of rain. In the end, the fair was a huge disaster, losing millions. The anticipated crowds never materialized. Exhibits and pavilions fell apart as countries fell to the German blitzkrieg. Americans complained that the 75 cents admission was too expensive and that the fair was too high-brow for common folks. Labor unions held construction and maintenance hostage to outrageous demands. Bomb threats became common. Power went out, and rides malfunctioned. Issue piled on top of issue.
James Mauro's book is an interesting and thorough account of the history of the fair, from the first idea of it through closing day. The title should have stopped there. I assume the "Genius" referred to is Albert Einstein, who is a bit player in the story at best, and could have been left out entirely. I'm not really sure what "Madness" refers to. And the "Murder" doesn't really show up until the last quarter of the book.
Maybe the publisher's idea was to market the book as another Devil in the White City, but the book falls short, mainly because the story is just not there, and Mauro is no Erik Larson. Still, it's a good companion read. If you enjoyed Devil, you will probably like Twilight, as long as you lower your expectations just a tiny bit.
Forget the subtitle and approach this book as a history of the 1939 World's Fair in New York. The goal was to showcase "The World of Tomorrow" - well, actually, the goal was to make lots of money and bring millions of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars into the city - when a group of men decided it was time to host a World's Fair that would outshine the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and restore New York City's supremacy. Where? On top of a huge landfill in Flushing, Queens. It was doomed from the start. The country was still in the throes of the Great Depression, the effort got off to a late start, it was difficult to raise money, and the world was on the brink of World War II. Even the weather was a disaster, rain on top of rain. In the end, the fair was a huge disaster, losing millions. The anticipated crowds never materialized. Exhibits and pavilions fell apart as countries fell to the German blitzkrieg. Americans complained that the 75 cents admission was too expensive and that the fair was too high-brow for common folks. Labor unions held construction and maintenance hostage to outrageous demands. Bomb threats became common. Power went out, and rides malfunctioned. Issue piled on top of issue.
James Mauro's book is an interesting and thorough account of the history of the fair, from the first idea of it through closing day. The title should have stopped there. I assume the "Genius" referred to is Albert Einstein, who is a bit player in the story at best, and could have been left out entirely. I'm not really sure what "Madness" refers to. And the "Murder" doesn't really show up until the last quarter of the book.
Maybe the publisher's idea was to market the book as another Devil in the White City, but the book falls short, mainly because the story is just not there, and Mauro is no Erik Larson. Still, it's a good companion read. If you enjoyed Devil, you will probably like Twilight, as long as you lower your expectations just a tiny bit.
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