Picturesque World's Fair, an Elaborate Collection of Colored Views . . . Comprising Illustrations of the Greatest Features of the World's Columbian Exposition and Midway Plaisance: Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Scenic and Ethnological

The publishers of "Picturesque World's Fair," in presenting these exquisite views, feel justified in congratulating themselves upon the success that has attended their efforts to place within the reach of all classes of people an artistic realistic reproduction of the great Exposition. Not only do the publishers feel gratulation in their own behalf, but they believe that through the perfection of the printers' art, by means of the application of labor-saving machinery, and through the enterprise of the progressive press of the United States, a work so rare, so interesting, so accurate and so invaluable, at so insignificant an expense, will be a benefaction to all classes of people. That the handsomely colored views contained in this volume, true in every respect to the design of the decorator and the unrivaled charm of nature, have received the most enthusiastic indorsement of the Director-General, the Executive Officer of the Exposition, who from the beginning to the close was its center figure and its controlling and guiding force, affords the publishers little opportunity for comment upon the pictorial features of this work. No production of a similar character has received the sanction of the Director-General; no enterprise of a contemporaneous period has received a higher compliment. Accompanying the views will be found a brief but vivid description of the buildings; their contents and the environments, together with much condensed valuable sympathetic information. In fact, it has been the intention of the publishers to present to the public a review and pictorial presentation of the great Fair that will rejoice and refresh those who had the good fortune to be among its visitors, and impart satisfactory reproduction in line and letter, that will in a great measure compensate those whose unavoidable absence would perhaps without this work have debarred them from an intimate and intelligent appreciation of the Exposition's manifold wonders.