Review:
We had three (3) “Buds” in attendance. We have one written review:
I didn’t care for the book. It needed editing. I found it repetitive, rambling, and tedious. I also didn’t understand why the pictures, maps, etc, weren’t blown up to cover a page or even double page spread (it was mentioned that it could be (but isn’t) a good book for the coffee table. A lot of the verbiage could have been cut if the illustrations became the focal point described or annotated by captions or descriptive narrative–a lot less narrative.
MG Buds book club 
Editor and author Cathy Jean Maloney chronicles a time when international exhibitions such as world’s fairs were crucibles of innovation. The nine great fairs that were held in the United States between 1876 and 1940 left their horticultural marks on American culture. The millions who visited the fairs were introduced to European planting schemes, exotic tropical plants, new technologies that ranged from mechanical lawnmowers to outdoor electric lights, with landscape engineering feats that would change many of America’s greatest cities. Much of the landscape architects’ works still remain in former host cities. Of interest to me were the landscaping trends over the years, as well as the debates and downright feuds among these planners (such as Frederick Law Olmsted) as they designed sites to suit their particular agendas. A beautifully illustrated book, the prose style, however, is definitely academic–even plodding and dry. Nevertheless, World’s Fair Gardeners is worth reading for the unique information included.
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