This carefully researched book is informative, insightful and fascinating. It chronicles Buffalo, a city that was the 6th largest in America at the turn of the 19th Century. The book focuses on the Pan American Exhibition of 1901, an event that brought great attention to the city, some of it not favorable. It was at the Exposition that President McKinley was shot and later died of his wounds. But there’s more than the assassination that makes this book interesting. Creighton focuses on the planning of the event, the different venues and animal acts, the daredevils and also one anarchist. Being a resident of the Buffalo area, this book has strong appeal. It tells a faithful tale of a city trying to impress the world. The inclusion of Jumbo II (elephant attraction), Chiquita the Little Doll (small person attraction), Annie Taylor (went over Niagara Falls in a barrel) and James Parker (Black man who helped apprehend the assassin Leon Czolgosz) are among some of the secondary stories that bring a human touch to this nonfiction historical book. The endnotes and bibliography at the end are clear evidence of the author’s extensive investigation of an important time in Buffalo’s and also America’s history.

My apologies - I was unable to get to this book before my access to it expired. Thank you for the opportunity - I anticipate purchasing it.