Perfect Cities

Chicago's Utopias of 1893

By: James Gilbert

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Paperback | 1 June 1993 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
293 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.27 x 1.53 x 0.18

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In this elegant and sensitive look at the milieu of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, James Gilbert examines the three utopias that were designed to bring order to the chaos of urban life: The World's Fair itself, George Pullman's community for his workers, and Dwight Moody's evangelical crusade. Gilbert draws upon a rich selection of fiction, collective biography, architecture, photographs, and souvenir books to show how these experiments each acted as a middle-class prescription for coming to terms with the new cultural diversity and competition resulting from the disruptive forces of technological change, commercial enterprise, and pluralism.

"Mr. Gilbert's splendid book opens the door on a conflicted past, and provides an indispensable perspective on the troubled and troubling struggle we face today between old and new, unity and diversity."—Alan Trachtenberg, New York Times

"Perfect Cities is a remarkable account of a struggle for cultural definition. Chronicling the byplay between cultural homogeneity and heterogeneity, unity and diversity, James Gilbert not only throws light on Chicago's past but also provides insight that can be applied to the cultural debates of our own time."—Adria Bernardi, Chicago Tribune

"What Gilbert has done is to enable the reader to experience the grand utopian visions of the times, yet at the same time see the cantankerous reality that made the visions impossible."—Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History History of the Americas Society & Culture Social Groups Urban Communities Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History Earliest Times to Present Day Modern History from 1700 to 1900 Miscellaneous Items

Illustrations
Preface
Itineraries
Chicago: Two Profiles
Approaches: Discovery from a Distance
First City: Form and Fantasy
Second City: Our Town
Third City: The Evangelical Metropolis
Exit: The Gray City
Notes
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Perfect Cities

Chicago's Utopias of 1893

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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