The End of the Innocence

From April 1964 to October 1965, some 52 million people from around

the world flocked to the New York World's Fair, an experience that lives

on in the memory of many individuals and in America's collective consciousness.

Taking a perceptive look back at "the last of the great world's

fairs," Samuel offers a vivid portrait of this seminal event and of the

cultural climate that surrounded it. He also counters critics' assessments

of the fair as the "ugly duckling" of global expositions. Opening five

months after President Kennedy's assassination, the fair allowed millions

to celebrate international fellowship while the conflict in Vietnam came

to a boil. This event was perhaps the last time so many from so far could

gather to praise harmony while ignoring cruel realities on such a gargantuan

scale. This world's fair glorified the postwar American dream of

limitless optimism even as a counterculture of sex, drugs, and rock n roll

came into being. It could rightly be called the last gasp of that dream:

The End of the Innocence.

Samuel's work charts the fair from inception in 1959 to demolition in

1966 and provides a broad overview of the social and cultural dynamics

that led to the birth of the event. It also traces thematic aspects of the

fair, with its focus on science, technology, and the world of the future. Accessible,

entertaining, and informative, the book is richly illustrated with

contemporary photographs.