A New Celebration of Chicago's Centennial
New book commemorates A Century of Progress using vintage images.
- Chicago, IL (1888PressRelease) January 20, 2015 - Enthusiastic fair historian and veteran author Bill Cotter has completed his 8th book with Arcadia Publishing! Set to publish on February 2nd, Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair: A Century of Progress is the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing's iconic Images of America series. Boasting more than 200 images, this new title consists of rare photographs that have never before been published.
Taking six years and $100 million dollars to complete, Chicago's World's Fair opened its gates to host the biggest birthday party the city had ever seen! Originally called The Century of Progress Exposition, this fair was designed to honor the incredible progress that had been made since the city was founded 100 years earlier. Although the fair was originally planned for just the 1933 season, profits were not as high as expected and many changes were made to re-open for 1934.
The images used in this book have been carefully selected from the world's largest private collection of world's fair photographs. The photos used are candid images that reflect what the average visitor was most interested in. "Rather than using publicity photos prepared by the fair or its many concessionaires, I chose to use amateur images taken by people who had gone to the fair to be entertained, educated, and amazed," Cotter stated. The book also provides information on how to locate the few remaining legacies from the fair that were moved to other sites after the fair ended.
Highlights of Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair: A Century of Progress include:
- Vintage images of buildings that are still standing and in use today
- Major attractions of the fair and the astonishing changes made between seasons.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Discover more than 8,500 small towns and downtowns at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair A Century of Progress
by Bill Cotter
Images of America Series
Price: $21.99
128 pages/ softcover
Available: February 2, 2015.
Meet Bill Cotter
Author of Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair A Century of Progress.
Bill Cotter first visited the 1964-65 New York World's Fair at the impressionable age of 12. And what an impression it made! When he graduated from college he became a submarine designer for the US Navy, which somehow led to his working for The Walt Disney Company at the studio and theme parks. He later traveled the world for Warner Bros. and Universal studios, which allowed him to visit several world's fairs.
Bill has written extensively about these international gatherings, including seven prior titles for Arcadia Publishing, illustrating the books with pictures from his extensive library of photos. His collection is believed to be the largest private holding of photographic images from world's fairs. He has contributed to a variety of books and documentaries, and served as a consultant on several movies including "Iron Man 2" and the upcoming "Tomorrow-Land" for their world's fair segments. Bill is also the author of a comprehensive history of Disney television and other entertainment projects.
Bill operates two websites devoted to the study of world's fairs - worldsfairphotos.com and worldsfaircommunity.org. He enjoys working with his fellow fans to document these lost expositions and on proposals for future events.
What lasting impact do you hope your book will leave?
The 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair was a fascinating time. The backers had to overcome governmental agencies that were originally against the fair, then survive the economic impact of the Great Depression. Against all odds they succeeded and created a remarkable world's fair that helped showcase the civic and industrial might of Chicago. I hope that this book captures some of the amazing risks they took, as well as the many shows and exhibits that delighted millions.
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam