Meticulously documented, beautifully illustrated, and always intriguing. . . . A thoroughly enjoyable read and a first-rate scholarly achievement. . . . Beautifully produced. -- Lesley A. Wright * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES *
Engravings, caricatures from the illustrated press, and period photographs . . . bring the Fair remarkably alive. -- Jann Pasler * JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY *
Annegret Fauser has written a valuable book. . . showing how the exposition promoted French music of the previous decades and offered concerts of world music and dance by performers from such distant places as Romania, Egypt, Vietnam, and Java. Both French historians and world historians will derive much benefit from the volume. -- William Weber * JOURNAL OF MODERN HISTORY *
Thoroughly researched and excellently illustrated. . . . Fauser has done us all a service in clearly presenting the musical and moral complexities of such a mammoth enterprise. . . . Thoughtful, lively book. -- Roger Nichols * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *
Original and insightful. . . . [The presentation] is glossy, spacious and consistent, with scrupulous referencing and clear translations. -- Helen Julia Minors * NINETEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC REVIEW *
Fauser offers a 'thick history' in every sense, rich in individual arguments, plurality of points of view, and layers of information and analysis. This is a truly wonderful book, which may cause something of a minor revolution in how we understand nineteenth-century French music and listening cultures. -- Tamara Levitz * H-NET April 2006 *
