Historical Directory of American Agricultural Fairs

(Hardback)

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Although this title might appeal primarily to readers at land grant or other agricultural institutions, a number of audiences could use it. The agricultural fair is an important feature of American history and rural sociology, particularly in the Midwest. Very little has been published on the subject in recent years.... An excellent introductory essay describes fairs of all types, from trading fairs of ancient times through the Middle Ages, and traces the history of American agricultural fairs, including the political and religious influences, dwelling on the role of the Grange. This section ends with a discussion of the present-day urban fair. An extensive bibliography follows this introduction. The directory itself lists 205 present-day fairs alphabetically by the name of the fair, usually a county or state name. Each event or affair includes address, origin of the event, memorable attractions, major focus, admission charge, and attendance in 1984. An 84-page appendix lists almost 2,000 additional regional and state fairs, giving dates and addresses for each. A final chapter cites other studies of fairs, including magazine and newspaper articles as well as unpublished documents. An index of names and subjects follows.... Recommended for undergraduate honors students and graduate students and researchers in agriculture, history, sociology, and political science.-Choice
This book provides a directory to 2,600 individual fairs with a historical perspective on the 205 largest and most popular of these. For the purposes of this work any type of agricultural fair is listed, including livestock shows, state and county fairs, and local youth fairs such as those sponsored by 4-H or the Future Farmers of America. The book is divided into three sections: an introductory essay, profiles of individual fairs, and the listing and directory of fairs and other agricultural events. The introductory essay is a scholarly study of the history and present state of fairs in the U.S. Trends in fair development, organization, purpose, and regional differences are described. The changes from an agricultural marketplace to a primarily educational experience are chronicled. The main portion of the work is an alphabetical listing of the 205 most popular events in the country. Every state fair, major regional fairs, and the largest county fairs are included. For each entry, a brief history is provided along with its current status. Dates, attendance figures from as recent as 1984, featured events, and admission charges are all provided. References to other published sources of historical information are given if available. This section will be a useful guide to the fair visitor. The final section of the book is the listing and directory of all known currently held agricultural fairs in the U.S. Entries are arranged by state and include the location and dates for each event. An appendix containing a bibliographic essay on other sources of fair information and an index conclude the work.-Reference Books Bulletin
"Although this title might appeal primarily to readers at land grant or other agricultural institutions, a number of audiences could use it. The agricultural fair is an important feature of American history and rural sociology, particularly in the Midwest. Very little has been published on the subject in recent years.... An excellent introductory essay describes fairs of all types, from trading fairs of ancient times through the Middle Ages, and traces the history of American agricultural fairs, including the political and religious influences, dwelling on the role of the Grange. This section ends with a discussion of the present-day urban fair. An extensive bibliography follows this introduction. The directory itself lists 205 present-day fairs alphabetically by the name of the fair, usually a county or state name. Each event or affair includes address, origin of the event, memorable attractions, major focus, admission charge, and attendance in 1984. An 84-page appendix lists almost 2,000 additional regional and state fairs, giving dates and addresses for each. A final chapter cites other studies of fairs, including magazine and newspaper articles as well as unpublished documents. An index of names and subjects follows.... Recommended for undergraduate honors students and graduate students and researchers in agriculture, history, sociology, and political science."-Choice
"This book provides a directory to 2,600 individual fairs with a historical perspective on the 205 largest and most popular of these. For the purposes of this work any type of agricultural fair is listed, including livestock shows, state and county fairs, and local youth fairs such as those sponsored by 4-H or the Future Farmers of America. The book is divided into three sections: an introductory essay, profiles of individual fairs, and the listing and directory of fairs and other agricultural events. The introductory essay is a scholarly study of the history and present state of fairs in the U.S. Trends in fair development, organization, purpose, and regional differences are described. The changes from an agricultural marketplace to a primarily educational experience are chronicled. The main portion of the work is an alphabetical listing of the 205 most popular events in the country. Every state fair, major regional fairs, and the largest county fairs are included. For each entry, a brief history is provided along with its current status. Dates, attendance figures from as recent as 1984, featured events, and admission charges are all provided. References to other published sources of historical information are given if available. This section will be a useful guide to the fair visitor. The final section of the book is the listing and directory of all known currently held agricultural fairs in the U.S. Entries are arranged by state and include the location and dates for each event. An appendix containing a bibliographic essay on other sources of fair information and an index conclude the work."-Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

DONALD B. MARTI is Associate Professor of History at Indiana University at South Bend. He has authored numerous articles on agricultural history, as well as the book Historical Dictionary of American Agricultural Fairs (Greenwood Press, 1986).